How to Use the Power Generator in Solarpunk

TL;DR

• The Power Generator (Energy Generator) in Solarpunk produces 120 units of power while fuelled and runs for up to 12 minutes per fuel load.
• You get a Generator, Cables, and a Sprinkler as part of your first Traderbot trade (4x Watermelon). You cannot craft more until you unlock the blueprint later.
• To use it, place the Generator, add fuel (Wood or Wax Briquettes), then connect it to a machine using Cable Connectors.
• Wax Briquettes are the best fuel — they burn for 5 minutes 30 seconds each, far longer than Wood.
• The Generator is a temporary early power source. Move to Solar Panels and Batteries as soon as the Energy Workbench is available.
• Build the Energy Crafting Table (5x Iron, 6x Copper, 4x Wood, 2x Glass) to craft Solar Panels and most energy devices.
• Use the Network Display to monitor how much power your grid is producing and consuming.
• A Drill draws 120 power, a Sprinkler draws 40 power, and an Automatic Feeder draws 50 power — plan your grid around these numbers.

How to use the power generator in Solarpunk is the first thing you need to figure out once you start trading with Traderbot. Power generation is what separates manual early-game survival from the automated, efficient base you want to build mid-game. Without power, your Sprinklers, Drills, Automatic Feeders, and Drones sit idle. This guide covers how to get the Generator, how to fuel and connect it, how to read your power network, and when to upgrade beyond the Generator to Solar Panels, Batteries, and Windmills.

How to Get the Power Generator in Solarpunk

The Power Generator is not something you research at the Research Table. It comes directly from Traderbot as part of the very first trade in the sequence.

Trade 4x Watermelon to Traderbot and you will receive a Generator, a set of Cables, and a Sprinkler Set as your reward. These are handed to you as physical items — you do not get a blueprint for them at this stage. That means you cannot craft more Generators until you progress further into the Blueprint research system.

This is why the 4x Watermelon trade should be one of your first priorities after building your Airship and reaching Traderbot. Growing Watermelons from seeds found during early exploration lets you do this trade quickly and get your first power setup running without waiting long. For a full breakdown of the Traderbot trade order and Airship upgrade sequence, see our guide on how to get Airship Upgrades in Solarpunk.

How to Build the Energy Crafting Table

Before you can craft your own energy devices — including Solar Panels and Cable Connectors — you need an Energy Crafting Table. This is different from the Energy Workbench next to Traderbot. The Energy Crafting Table is a structure you build yourself at your home base.

Craft it at your regular Crafting Table using:

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

Glass is made by smelting Sand in the Furnace. Sand drops from brown rock deposits and also appears as a byproduct when mining Iron, Copper, and Cobalt ores. Place the Energy Crafting Table near your base — this becomes the workstation for almost every power-related item from this point on.

How to Place and Fuel the Power Generator

With the Generator item in your inventory from the Watermelon trade, place it anywhere near your base in a clear spot. It does not need to be in sunlight or wind — unlike Solar Panels and Windmills, the Generator has a fixed output regardless of weather or time of day.

What Fuel Does the Generator Use

The Generator runs on burnable fuel. Open it by interacting with it and place fuel in the fuel slot. It accepts:

• Wood — Basic fuel. Widely available from trees but burns quickly. Wood is also needed for building and crafting, so using it as Generator fuel burns through your supply fast.
• Wax Briquettes — The best Generator fuel in the game. Each Wax Briquette burns for 5 minutes 30 seconds. Made from Beeswax at the Crafting Table. If you have Beehives producing Beeswax consistently, Wax Briquettes keep the Generator running far longer per slot than Wood ever will.

The Generator has a maximum burn timer of 12 minutes per load. Any fuel added beyond what fills the timer is wasted. Use stack splitting when adding fuel to avoid overfilling and wasting Wax Briquettes.

The Generator produces 120 units of power while fuelled and running. That output stays constant — it does not drop at night or during rain the way Solar Panels do.

How to Connect the Generator to Machines Using Cables

A Generator sitting on the ground does nothing on its own. You need to connect it to machines using Cable Connectors.

Here is exactly how to do it:

• Place your Generator near the machine you want to power.
• Place a Cable Connector in the Generator’s output receptacle.
• Place a second Cable Connector on the machine you want to power (such as a Sprinkler or Drill).
• The two connectors will link automatically if they are within range. Once linked, power flows from the Generator into the machine and it will start running.

When placing cables, the game shows a ghost connection line to help you see where the connection will go. Right-click to cancel a cable placement if you need to reposition. If a machine stops working, check whether the cable is still connected — cables can become disconnected if you move a building.

Connecting Multiple Machines to One Generator

You can run more than one machine off a single Generator. Connect machines in a chain — Generator to Machine A, then Machine A to Machine B — or run separate cables from the Generator’s node to each machine. All connected devices share the same power pool, so make sure your total power draw does not exceed the Generator’s 120 output or machines will shut off.

Power Draw of Common Machines

The Generator produces 120 units of power. Here is how much each common machine draws:

• Sprinkler — 40 power
• Wireless Sprinkler — 6 power
• Drill — 120 power
• Automatic Feeder — 50 power
• Powered Water Trough — 50 power
• Transport Drone — 300 power
• Energy Furnace — 200 power
• Chicken Incubator — 200 power
• Forester — 400 power

A single Generator at 120 power can run three regular Sprinklers, two Automatic Feeders, or one Drill — but not a Drill and anything else at the same time. Plan your grid layout around these numbers before connecting devices.

How to Use the Network Display

The Network Display is one of the most useful early power tools. Build it at the Energy Crafting Table and connect it to your grid using a Cable. It shows you in real time:

• How much power your grid is currently producing
• How much power your machines are currently consuming
• How much is stored in connected Batteries

Build the Network Display before you start adding multiple machines. When a machine shuts off unexpectedly, the Network Display tells you immediately whether the problem is a power deficit, an empty battery, or a broken cable connection. Without it, diagnosing power problems is mostly guesswork.

Moving Beyond the Generator: Solar Panels and Batteries

The Generator is a solid early power bridge, but it has two major problems over time. First, it needs constant refuelling. Second, even with Wax Briquettes, you are always burning a resource. As your base grows, this becomes a time and material drain.

The better long-term power solution is Solar Panels combined with Batteries.

Solar Panels

Solar Panels are crafted at the Energy Crafting Table once you have the blueprint from Traderbot progression. They generate power during daylight hours with no fuel cost. The output varies depending on weather and time of day — full sun gives maximum output, clouds reduce it, and night drops it to zero.

Place Solar Panels in open areas with no roof or structure overhead. They need unobstructed sky exposure to work at full capacity. Two Solar Panels at full output generate around 140 units of power — just enough for a Drill, but leaving almost no buffer for other devices on the same circuit.

Batteries

Batteries store excess power generated during daylight and release it at night or during cloudy weather. Without Batteries, your grid goes dead the moment the sun sets or a storm hits. One Battery stores 96,000 units of power and charges or discharges at up to 200 units at a time.

Add at least one Battery before you start running Drills or Automatic Feeders. Without storage, any brief dip in solar output will cut power to your machines mid-operation.

Windmills

Windmills are unlocked later through Blueprint research and produce power based on current wind speed. They complement Solar Panels well because storms — which reduce solar output — typically increase wind speed, making Windmills more effective exactly when Solar Panels struggle. Place Windmills as high as possible on your island for the best wind exposure.

How to Use Switches to Control Your Grid

As your power network grows, you will want to turn certain devices on and off without disconnecting cables. This is where Switches (Levers) and the Controllable Logic Block come in.

• Lever — A manual switch. Place it in a cable line and flick it to open or close that part of the circuit. Useful for Sprinklers that waste power during rain.
• Controllable Logic Block with Rain Sensor — Place a Rain Sensor on the control input and the Logic Block will automatically cut power to whatever is connected (such as Sprinklers) when it detects rain. This stops power being wasted watering crops that are already getting rained on.
• Controllable Logic Block with Daytime Sensor — Cuts power to lights or specific machines during the day, or activates them only at night.

Separating your Sprinklers onto their own cable branch with a switch is one of the best early power management improvements you can make. Sprinklers left on all the time drain your grid even when crops do not need water.

Power Tips for the Early and Mid-Game

• Use Wax Briquettes, not Wood. Each Wax Briquette burns 5.5 minutes. Wood burns a fraction of that. Wax Briquettes let you check in on the Generator far less frequently.
• Do not overfill the Generator. The burn timer caps at 12 minutes. Fuel added beyond that is wasted. Split stacks before loading.
• Build the Network Display immediately. It costs very little and makes all power troubleshooting fast and clear.
• Never run a Drill and Sprinklers on the same Generator without a Battery. The Drill alone uses all 120 power. Sprinklers need their own circuit or a separate power source.
• Move to Solar plus Battery as your main power as soon as possible. The Generator is a great early bridge but becomes a maintenance burden as your base expands.
• Put Sprinklers on a switch. Turn them off during rain and at night. It saves power and extends battery life significantly.
• Place Solar Panels in open sky. No roof, no overhang, no structure blocking above. If anything is blocking direct sky exposure, output will drop or stop entirely.
• Plan battery placement near your heaviest machines. Drills and Drones draw the most power. Having Battery storage close to those machines means they get first access to stored power before lighter devices drain it.

All Power Sources at a Glance

Here is a quick comparison of every power source in Solarpunk:

• Energy Generator — 120 power, fixed output, needs fuel. Best early game. First one given free via 4x Watermelon trade.
• Solar Panel — Variable output based on daylight and weather. No fuel needed. Best daytime source once unlocked.
• Windmill — Variable output based on wind speed. Stronger during storms. Unlocked later via Blueprint Tier research.
• Large Windmill — Produces roughly double the output of a regular Windmill. Place as high as possible.
• Battery — Stores 96,000 units, charges and discharges at up to 200 per tick. Essential for night and storm coverage.

Final Thoughts

The Power Generator in Solarpunk is your first step into the energy system and one of the most important things to set up after your first Traderbot trade. Place it, fuel it with Wax Briquettes for efficiency, connect machines using Cable Connectors, and build the Network Display to keep an eye on your grid. As your base grows, transition from the Generator to a Solar Panel and Battery setup so you stop spending resources on fuel. Use Switches to control Sprinklers and optional machines so power goes where it is needed rather than running constantly in the background. Getting your power system right early makes every other system in the game — farming automation, ore drilling, animal care — run with far less manual effort. For more on the progression path that unlocks the energy system, see our guide on how to get Airship Upgrades in Solarpunk to understand where the Generator fits in the full Traderbot trade sequence.