Power (or Electricity) is required for most building to function. It is produced by multiple Power Generator Buildings and distributed through Power Lines. It can be stored in Power Storage for later use.
Power is measured in MW. Power is all or nothing; if you do not have sufficient Power to supply to the consumers on the grid, the grid will shut down and nothing on it will work until the deficiency is fixed.
Uses for Power
Most buildings in the game require Power to operate. Without power they will not function even if they are supplied with all other required inputs.
Trains also require Power when actively working. If Power is lost, the Train will come to a stop until Power is supplied again.
Power requirements are increased when using Power Shards to Overclock. The higher the amount of Overclocking, the higher the Power requirement.
Generating Power
There are multiple ways to generate Power. Note that the inputs determines how long until the input item is consumed (and thus the total Power per item), not how much Power is generated per second (except for Geothermal Generators).
| Building | Inputs | Power Output (100% Clock Speed) |
|---|---|---|
| Biomass Burner |
– Biomass – Leaves – Wood – Mycelia – Alien Remains |
30 MW (20 MW for the two HUB Burners) |
| Coal Generator |
– Coal – Compacted Coal – Petroleum Coke |
75 MW |
| Fuel Generator |
– Fuel – Liquid Biofuel – Turbofuel |
150 MW |
| Geothermal Generator |
– Impure Geyser – Normal Geyser – Pure Geyser |
100 MW (Average) 200 MW (Average) 400 MW (Average) |
| Nuclear Power Plant |
– Uranium Fuel Rod – Plutonium Fuel Rod |
2500 MW |
Power Grid
A Power Grid is an isolated group of buildings connected to each other through Power Lines. Buildings that are not connected by some path of Power Lines are on different Power Grids.
You can view a Power Grid by interacting with any Power Pole or generator on that grid. Moving your mouse over different sections of the picture will show numbers for that moment in the past.
In the Power Grid UI, the orange bar represents the current Power usage (Consum.). The dark grey bar represents how much Power you are currently producing (Production). These two bars often overlap.
The light grey bar the maximum amount of Power your grid could generate if required (Capacity). Finally, the blue bar shows the maximum amount of Power the consumers on that grid could use if they were all working at once (Max Cons.)
Power Fuse Trip
Power Grids can experience Power Fuse Trips when the amount of Power supplied is not sufficient to meet the Power required. To restart a grid, interact with a Power Pole or generator and pull the lever. Remember that if the Power is still not sufficient, the grid will trip again immediately.
Different sections of your factory can be isolated from each other using Power Switches. This will allow you to power down specific sections to save Power or turn off a specific process.
Setting up Power Switches to isolate areas of your factory will help you avoid catastrophic Power Fuse Trips that force you to manually disconnect Power Lines. You can also shut down areas of your factory that aren’t worth running at that moment.
Connecting Power
Power Grids are created through the use of Power Lines. Almost every building can only accept one Power Line connection (you cannot “daisy chain” Power Lines between Buildings).
Because Power Generators and Consumers only have one connection, you will need to use Power Poles (or Wall Outlets) to make your Power Grid more than a 1 to 1 connection. Power Poles can accept multiple connections and can connect to each other, allowing you to bring power to where ever it is needed.
The easiest way to connect buildings to to a Power Grid is by selecting “Power Line” in the Construction menu of the Build Gun or through a hotkey. Simply look at the building or existing Power Pole you want to connect and click to select it. From there you can choose to either connect it to an existing Power Pole by mousing over it, or a new one will be created if the area you are mousing over is empty.
Power Lines have no limitations on Power transfer; they can carry an unlimited amount of Power instantaneously over any distance.
Power Storage
Power Storage allows you to store excess Power for use later. This can help smooth out your factory’s Power requirements, generating extra Power during low usage and supply extra power during high usage.
There is only one building associated with the storage of Power, aptly named Power Storage. Power Storage stores only excess Power; it will not store Power if doing so would cause a power trip. Power Storage will also not store Power from Biomass Burners, but will for all other types of generators.
You can view Power Storage information by interacting with one of the Power Storage Buildings. You can also view information about Power Storage on any normal Power Grid UI. This information can be expanded to view more specifics.
When the Power Grid is short on Power and a trip would normally occur, Power Supply will discharge the stored Power to meet the extra demands to avoid a trip. There is no limit on the discharge rate of Power Supplies; they will output instantly up to their maximum stored Power, as needed.
Power Storage is measured in megawatt hours (MWh). This number is a measurement of how many MWs can be supplied in a one hour period. For example, 1000 MWh means that your storage could supply 1000 MW of Power for one (1) hour.