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The subject of this article is from the Waypoint update.
The information from this article is up-to-date as of 21 February, 2023.

Power is used in base building.

Summary[ | ]

Power, or electrical power, is a resource that certain base building products require to function.

In game, power amount is measured in units called kP, while power production and consumption is measured in kP per second, abbreviated as kPs.

Electrical grid[ | ]

Devices that generate and consume power can be connected together with Electrical Wiring, forming a power grid.

All base items, whether they need power or not, will consume energy from one wire as long as all objects are connected. This means that as long as your whole base is connected by objects that stick to each other, you only need one wire to run into the entire building. Placing a generator without connecting it to any wiring will not supply power to the grid.

Note: the visual lines indicating power connections can be hidden by installing an Electrical Cloaking Unit.

Supply[ | ]

The following base building products can supply power into the grid:

Name Output in kPs Notes
Biofuel Reactor 0 or 50 Only generates power while fueled; requires manual refueling. Takes any of the following as fuel:
Solar Panel 0, 25, or 50 Generates power automatically without any fuel:
  • 50 kPs during daytime
  • 25 kPs during dawn/dusk time
  • 0 kPs during nighttime
Electromagnetic Generator 0-300 Generates power automatically without any fuel. Provides a stable power output round the clock; specific output amount depends on distance from as well as the class (C, B, A or S) of the closest Electromagnetic Power Hotspot. Multiple Electromagnetic Generators may be placed within the proximity of a single hotspot to generate more power.
Battery 0-45000 Does not create new power, instead it stores power when there is surplus in the grid, and then delivers any shortfall from any reserves stored previously when there is not sufficient power generated by the grid, such as during nighttime when Solar Panels are not producing any power, or when some Biofuel Reactors have run out of fuel. Does not supply any power when empty. Maximum storage capacity for each Battery is 45000 kP.
Freighter 10000 Generates power automatically without any fuel. Provides a stable power output round the clock to the grid of any base building products constructed inside the Freighter.

Consumption[ | ]

Buildable.pavingtall  Note: This section is under development.(List is incomplete, please expand.)

The following base building products require power to run:

Base building product Power consumption in kPs
BUILDABLE.DRESSINGROOM Appearance Modifier 50
BUILDABLE.CREATUREFEEDER Automated Feeder 20
Buildable.teleporter Base Teleport Module 20
BUILDABLE.BIODOME Bio-Dome 50
DECORATION.CEILINGLIGHT Ceiling Light 1
BUILDABLE.LIGHTBLUE Coloured Light 1
Buildable.cuberoom Cuboid Room 5
BUILDABLE.CUBECURVEWALL Curved Cuboid Wall 5
Buildable.room small Cylindrical Room 10
Buildable.door Door 1
BUILDABLE.TERMINAL Galactic Trade Terminal 15
UTILITY.GASEXTRACTOR Gas Extractor 50
Buildable.shieldstation Hazard Protection Unit 10
Buildable.healthstation Health Station 10
Buildable.holodoor Holo-Door 1
BUILDABLE.PLANTER Hydroponic Tray 5
Buildable.plantermega Large Hydroponic Tray 20
Buildable.light001 Light 1
BUILDABLE.LIGHTBox Light Box 1
BUILDABLE.CREATUREFARMER Livestock Unit 20
UTILITY.EXTRACTOR SMALL(2) Mineral Extractor 50
BUILDABLE.NOISEBOX Noise Box 1
BUILDABLE.SPAWNER BALL Sphere Creator 0
Buildable.maincube Square Room 10
NmsBase Storage Container Icon Storage Container 5
Buildable.corridor Straight Corridor 1
BUILDABLE.VIEWSPHERE Viewing Sphere 1
Buildable.corridor x X-Shaped Corridor 1
Buildable.glasscorridor Glass Roofed Corridor 1

Switches[ | ]

These base building products have 2 input/output sockets. Either one needs to be connected to a powered electrical wire, while the other socket must be connected to any number of power output wires that each will power a specific base product (such as Base Teleport Module, etc.).

Power Inverter and Auto Switch each also have a 3rd socket: a control socket that is located in the middle of the item (or at the bottom if the product is placed vertically on a wall).

Each product not only needs to be connected to a powered wire to one of the 2 input/output sockets, but it also needs a product-specific activation condition to be met to be supplying power to the output socket. Once a product activates, it will stop supplying power once its specific deactivation condition is met. Depending on the product in question, this may or may not be the reverse of the activation condition.

Name Activation condition Deactivation condition
UTILITY.SWITCH AUTO Auto Switch Power supplied to middle/bottom socket (and also to an input socket) Power not supplied to middle/bottom socket
UTILITY.SWITCH BUTTON Button A player using the button (default E key) Always 1 second after activation
UTILITY.SWITCHPRESS Floor Switch A player standing on the switch (measuring a 6x6u square) No player is standing on the switch
UTILITY.SWITCH INVERTER Power Inverter Power not supplied to middle/bottom socket (but supplied to an input socket) Power supplied to middle/bottom socket
UTILITY.SWITCH PROX Proximity Switch A player coming within 7.5u of the switch The activating player moving to farther than 9.5u from the switch
UTILITY.SWITCHWALL Wall Switch A player using the switch (default E key) while it is inactive A player using the switch (default E key) while it is active

Strategy[ | ]

Generator choice[ | ]

  • Biofuel Reactors need constant recharging but are also very efficient. A full charge with 30 Carbon lasts 50h.
  • Solar Panels paired with Batteries work well for a base positioned anywhere on a planet's surface.
    • Install enough Solar Panels to exceed the power requirements of your base. Ensure that excess power charges the Batteries enough to power the base through a 15-minute nighttime cycle.
    • One Solar Panel provides 50kPs of power during daytime. For every 50kPs required by your base, install two Solar Panels and one Battery.
    • Solar Panels are effective when installing close to a geographic pole of the planet, since each panel there will supply a constant 25kPs round the clock with no required maintenance or fuel and no interruptions.
  • Electromagnetic Generators are the most efficient, as they supply constant power in rather large amounts with no required maintenance or fuel and no interruptions. However, they can only be placed on power generating hotspots, located using the Survey Device upgrade to the Analysis Visor in the Multi-Tool. This limits your choice of locations at which you can build bases powered by Electromagnetic Generators.
  • Building a base inside a Freighter will allow the use of the freighter's built-in and stable round-the-clock 10000kPs generator.

Conserving power[ | ]

Release history[ | ]

  • Beyond
    • Added new power generation base parts: Biofuel Reactors, Solar Panels, Electromagnetic Generators and Batteries. Each offers a different way to generate power for your base.
    • Added wiring, allowing you to connect base parts that need power to your generators.
    • Removed the manual fueling of many base technologies and replaced it with power grid requirements.
    • Added power requirements to existing parts such as lights.
    • Added a range of logic gates and switches, allowing for creative control of powered parts.
    • Added new exocraft-sized doors that can be powered to open and close automatically as you approach.
    • Added a powered Sphere Generator that allows players to generate large movable spheres.
  • Beyond 2.09.1 - Fixed a number of issues that prevented hydroponic trays from working with base power. Fixed Health, Power and Shield stations not receiving power aboard freighters.
  • Desolation - Short-Range Teleporter no longer needs to be powered (description still claims it does).
  • Update 3.94 - Biofuel Reactors are now much more efficient, providing power for a significantly longer amount of time.
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