How to Get and Use Solar Panels in Solarpunk

TL;DR

Solar Panels are unlocked through the Energy Workbench at Traderbot’s island using Blueprints earned from trades.
You need to unlock the Energy Crafting Table blueprint first, then the Solar Panel blueprint separately — each costs one Blueprint.
Build the Energy Crafting Table at your home base (5x Iron, 6x Copper, 4x Wood, 2x Glass) — this is where you craft Solar Panels.
Each Solar Panel costs 8x Iron, 8x Glass, and 8x Copper to craft.
Place Solar Panels in fully open sky — no roof, no overhang, nothing blocking above.
Connect them to machines using Cable Connectors. Power flows as soon as cables are linked.
Solar Panels only generate power during daylight. Add a Battery to keep machines running at night and during rain.
Two Solar Panels at full output generate around 140 units of power. A Drill uses 120. A Sprinkler uses 40.
Use a Switch or Rain Sensor Logic Block to turn Sprinklers off during rain so power is not wasted.

How to get and use solar panels in Solarpunk is one of the most important things to sort out once you reach the Traderbot and start building your energy system. The fuel-based generator you get from early trades is a good bridge, but Solar Panels are the real long-term power source. They cost no fuel, run automatically during daylight, and when combined with Batteries they keep your base powered through the night and bad weather too. This guide covers every step — from unlocking the blueprint to wiring up your first working solar grid.

Table of Contents

How Solar Panels Work in Solarpunk

Solar Panels generate power by converting sunlight into energy. Their output is variable — it rises during the day as the sun climbs, peaks at midday, drops toward evening, and falls to zero at night. Overcast weather and rain also reduce output compared to a clear sunny day.

Unlike the Energy Generator, which runs at a flat 120 units of power as long as it has fuel, Solar Panels do not need any fuel at all. Once placed and connected, they generate power automatically with no input from you. That hands-free operation is what makes them the better long-term power solution over the Generator.

The trade-off is that Solar Panels stop producing at night. That is why Batteries are essential alongside them — Batteries store the surplus daytime power and release it when the sun goes down.

How to Unlock the Solar Panel Blueprint

Solar Panels are not researched at the regular Research Table. They come from the Energy Workbench, which is the research station found near Traderbot on the island directly north of your starting base.

Step 1: Reach Traderbot with Your Airship

The Energy Workbench is only accessible after you have built your Airship and flown to the Traderbot island. When you arrive, look for a console or workbench inside the Traderbot building directly opposite the bot. Interact with it to repair and activate the Energy Workbench.

trader bot location solarpunk

Step 2: Earn Blueprints from Traderbot Trades

Blueprints are the currency for Energy Workbench research. Most Traderbot trades give you one Blueprint as a reward. The very first trade — 4x Watermelon — gives you a Blueprint alongside the Generator, Cables, and Sprinkler Set. Every subsequent trade (except Airship Upgrade trades) gives another Blueprint.

Step 3: Unlock the Energy Crafting Table Blueprint

At the Energy Workbench, spend one Blueprint to unlock the Energy Crafting Table recipe. This is separate from the Energy Workbench itself and is the first thing to unlock. Without it, you cannot craft Solar Panels or most other energy devices at home.

Step 4: Unlock the Solar Panel Blueprint

Spend a second Blueprint at the Energy Workbench to unlock the Solar Panel recipe. Both the Energy Crafting Table and the Solar Panel are Blueprint Tier 1 items, so they are available from the beginning of your Blueprint progression without needing Silicon or Cobalt first.

How to Build the Energy Crafting Table

With the Energy Crafting Table blueprint unlocked, go to your regular Crafting Table at home and build it using:

5x Iron
6x Copper
4x Wood
2x Glass

Glass is made by smelting Sand in the Furnace. Sand comes from brown rock deposits and also drops as a byproduct when mining Iron, Copper, and Cobalt ores. Place the Energy Crafting Table somewhere central on your base — this becomes your main workstation for all energy devices from this point forward.

How to Craft a Solar Panel

Interact with your Energy Crafting Table and select Solar Panel. The recipe costs:

8x Iron
8x Glass
8x Copper

All three materials are available well before you reach this point in the game. Iron is smelted from Iron Ore, Copper is mined from Copper deposits on nearby islands, and Glass comes from smelting Sand. Craft as many Solar Panels as you need in one session rather than one at a time — your power needs will grow as you add more machines.

How to Place Solar Panels Correctly

Placement is one of the most important parts of using Solar Panels in Solarpunk. A poorly placed panel produces little or no power and many players do not realise why their grid is underperforming.

The rules for correct placement are simple:

Full open sky above. The Solar Panel needs an unobstructed view directly upward. No roof, no overhang, no tree, no structure overhead. If anything is blocking the sky above the panel, output drops significantly or stops entirely.
Not inside or under buildings. Do not place Solar Panels inside your base structure or under any covering. They must be fully outdoors and exposed.
Flat ground or elevated surfaces. Solar Panels can be placed on elevated platforms or rooftops if the sky above is still clear. Higher placement does not increase output, but it keeps panels out of the way of your base layout.

If your Solar Panel is placed correctly and daylight is active, it will visibly track the sun and show a power output reading when you check it.

How to Connect Solar Panels to Machines Using Cables

A placed Solar Panel generates power but that power goes nowhere until you connect it to something. Cable Connectors are what link your Solar Panel to machines.

Here is how to wire a basic Solar Panel to Sprinkler connection:

Place your Solar Panel in an open area near your farm.
Place a Sprinkler next to a patch of farmland.
Take a Cable Connector and place it in the output receptacle of the Solar Panel.
Take a second Cable Connector and attach it to the Sprinkler.
The two connectors will link automatically if they are within range. Once linked, the Sprinkler starts running using the Solar Panel’s power.

When placing cables, the game shows a ghost connection line so you can see exactly where the connection will go. Right-click to cancel a cable placement if you need to reposition. Cables can become disconnected if you move a structure — always check connections after any changes to your base layout.

Connecting Multiple Machines

You can chain multiple machines to a single Solar Panel by running cables from one device to the next. All connected devices share the same power pool. If your total power draw from all connected machines exceeds what the Solar Panel is generating at that moment, the weakest-priority machines will shut off until output recovers.

How Much Power Do Solar Panels Produce

Solar Panel output varies through the day. At peak midday output, each panel contributes around 10 units of power. Two Solar Panels at full output together generate around 140 units — just enough to run a Drill (120 power) with a small buffer, but leaving almost nothing spare for other devices on the same circuit.

Here is how common machine power draws compare:

Wireless Sprinkler — 6 power
Regular Sprinkler — 40 power
Automatic Feeder — 50 power
Powered Water Trough — 50 power
Drill — 120 power
Energy Furnace — 200 power
Algae Drone — 160 power
Transport Drone — 300 power
Forester — 400 power

Plan your solar grid around these numbers before connecting devices. A single Solar Panel setup cannot run a Drill and Sprinklers simultaneously without a Battery to buffer extra demand.

Why You Need a Battery Alongside Solar Panels

Solar Panels stop producing power at night. If your machines are running overnight — Drills, Automatic Feeders, Powered Water Troughs — they will all shut off the moment the sun sets unless you have Battery storage to cover them.

A Battery stores 96,000 units of power and charges or discharges at up to 200 units at a time. During the day when Solar Panels produce more than your machines are consuming, the Battery fills up. At night, it releases that stored power to keep machines running.

Unlock the Battery blueprint at the Energy Workbench using a Blueprint, then craft it at the Energy Crafting Table. Connect it to your Solar Panel grid with Cable Connectors and it will integrate automatically — charging when there is surplus and supplying when there is a deficit.

If your power grid is already running Solar Panels and machines but you have not unlocked the Battery blueprint yet, this should be your top priority at the Energy Workbench before expanding further. A grid without Battery storage is one cloudy afternoon away from everything shutting off.

How to Use the Network Display to Monitor Your Solar Grid

The Network Display is a small device you build at the Energy Crafting Table and connect to your grid. It shows:

Current power generation from all connected sources
Current power consumption from all connected machines
Current charge level of connected Batteries

Build one early and connect it to your grid before you start adding multiple machines. When a Sprinkler or Drill cuts out unexpectedly, the Network Display tells you whether it is a power deficit, an empty Battery, or a cable problem. Without it, diagnosing issues involves a lot of guesswork.

How to Stop Sprinklers Wasting Solar Power

Sprinklers left running all the time waste power even when it rains or when your crops do not need watering. There are two good solutions for this:

Manual Switch (Lever)

Place a Lever in the cable line between your Solar Panel and your Sprinkler branch. When it rains, flip the Lever to cut power to the Sprinklers. When the rain stops, flip it back on. This is a quick manual fix that costs almost nothing.

Rain Sensor and Controllable Logic Block

For a fully automatic solution, connect a Rain Sensor to a Controllable Logic Block placed in the Sprinkler cable line. When the Rain Sensor detects rain, the Logic Block automatically cuts power to the Sprinklers. When rain stops, it restores power. Use the invert button on the Logic Block if the logic is backwards for your setup.

Putting Sprinklers on their own cable branch with a switch is one of the best early power management decisions you can make. It keeps your battery charged longer and ensures heavier machines like Drills get priority power.

Solar Panel Tips for a Stable Grid

Place panels in full open sky. Even partial overhead obstruction kills output. When in doubt, clear anything above the panel.
Build the Network Display before expanding. Know what your grid is actually producing before adding more machines.
Add a Battery before adding a Drill. A Drill at 120 power will drain two Solar Panels completely. Without Battery storage, even a brief cloud will stop it mid-operation.
Do not run Drills and Sprinklers on the same circuit without enough panels. Three Sprinklers draw as much power as one Drill. Separate them onto different cable branches where possible.
Add more Solar Panels before adding more machines. Scale your generation before scaling your consumption, not the other way around.
Use the Wireless Sprinkler if possible. At only 6 power draw, it is far more efficient than the regular Sprinkler at 40 power. The Wireless Sprinkler waters every crop within 5 metres and can be routed through a Logic Block with a Rain Sensor for automatic pausing.
Pair with a Windmill later. Windmills generate more power during storms — exactly when Solar output drops. The two sources complement each other well. Windmills are unlocked after Blueprint Tier 3, which requires Cobalt. For how to reach that point, read our guide on how to get cobalt in Solarpunk.

Solar Panels vs the Energy Generator

Both the Generator and Solar Panels power your machines. Here is how they compare:

Energy Generator — Fixed 120 power output, works day and night, requires fuel (Wood or Wax Briquettes). Good early bridge but a long-term maintenance cost.
Solar Panels — Variable output based on daylight and weather, requires no fuel, stops at night. Better long-term solution when paired with Batteries.

The right approach is to use the Generator as a temporary early bridge and transition to Solar Panels as your main power source as soon as the Energy Workbench and Blueprint system opens up. Keep the Generator as a backup for cloudy stretches or high-demand situations where your solar plus battery capacity falls short.

Final Thoughts

Solar Panels in Solarpunk are the backbone of your mid and late-game power system. Unlock both the Energy Crafting Table and Solar Panel blueprints at the Energy Workbench early, build your Energy Crafting Table at home, gather 8x Iron, 8x Glass, and 8x Copper per panel, and place them in fully open sky. Wire them to machines using Cable Connectors, monitor your grid with the Network Display, and add a Battery as soon as possible to cover night and rain gaps. Put Sprinklers on a switched cable branch to stop power going to waste during wet weather. Scale your panel count ahead of your machine count and your grid will stay stable as your base grows. Once you are ready to add Windmills to complement your solar setup, check our guide on how to get cobalt in Solarpunk — Cobalt is the key to unlocking Blueprint Tier 3 where Windmill research becomes available.