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Producing Power
Power Storing In Batteries
How Much Power Will You Use?
Early-Game Power Management
Late-Game Power Management
Managing Power Cables
Dedicated Power Production Zone
Power is essential in Astroneer; without it, you will not be able to print new items to help you travel between planets. When your first start a game, you will be provided with power from your shelter, but soon, you will outgrow the amount of power that is provided here.
Related: Astroneer: How To Travel To Different Planets
In this guide, you are going to learn the most efficient ways to provide power to your base. Rather than having a large cluster of small generators attached to each other, you will be able to manage your power output like a pro. First, let's take a look at all power-making devices.
Producing Power
Power is measured in units per second, or U/s. Below, you can find each power-producing item, as well as the U/s of power produced.
Power-Producing Item | U/s | Materials Required To Make |
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Shelter | 1 U/s |
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Field Shelter | 0.5 U/s |
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Small Solar Panel | 0.25 to 1.75 U/s
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Medium Solar Panel | 1 to 7 U/s |
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Large Solar Panel | 2 to 14 U/s |
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Solar Array | 2.5 to 24.5 U/s |
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Wrecked Solar Array | 16 to 112 U/s |
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Small Wind Turbine | 1.5 U/s
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Medium Wind Turbine | 5 U/s |
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Large Wind Turbine | 10 U/s |
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XL Wind Turbine | 17 U/s |
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Small Generator | 2 U/s
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Medium Generator | 9 U/s
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QT-RTG | 1 U/s |
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RTG | 4 U/s |
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Power Cell | 1 U/s
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Shuttles | 0.1 U/s |
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Power Storing In Batteries
In addition to creating power, you will be able to store power in batteries. There are two sizes of batteries, which you can find below.
Battery Size | Capacity | Materials Required To Make |
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Small Battery | 32 Units |
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Medium Battery | 512 Units |
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How Much Power Will You Use?
As time goes on, you will use more and more power. There is no way to get around this; several pieces of equipment that you create will need a lot of power. For example, the Chemistry Lab requires ten U/s to produce resources. Below, you can learn where to check your existing power production.
Checking Power Levels
The amount of power that you are producing is displayed on every platform. To check your power production, locate the cable plug of a platform. Here, you will notice bars surrounding the red plug.
If the bars around the plug are red, this means that you are not generating enough power. When this happens, you need to either add a power source or disconnect a piece of equipment.
If the entire area isyellow, you are producing more power than needed. This is a good thing and will cause some items to complete their given task faster.
If there is only yellow on the bottom bars, this means that you are producing the exact amount of power that is needed, with no extra power being produced.
Overall, more yellow means more power. If any red is visible, you should prioritize adding a source of power or battery to your grid.
Early-Game Power Management
While on Sylva, you won't have access to the most amount of resources. Because of this, it's important to invest in batteries and sources of renewable power.
Renewable power, such as wind turbines and solar panels, do not require any fuel or maintenance to function. This means that you can make these items and place them, without needing to gather Organic Materials or Carbon.
Generators may be quick and easy to make, but refilling them can become a pain, especially since there are better sources of power.
Overall, focus on renewable power sources while you are at the start of the game. With a few batteries attached to your shelter, you can provide and store enough power for all of your equipment.
Late-Game Power Management
As you explore different planets and gather new resources, you should build an RTG. This is an infinite source of power with an output of four U/s. The blueprint for the RTG can be unlocked with 12,500 bytes, which is a lot. By saving bytes and researching materials, you can earn enough bytes to unlock and build this item.
Overall, we recommend building RTGs, as well as larger renewable sources of power, such as the XL Wind Turbine and Solar Array.
Managing Power Cables
Cable management can be difficult without the proper layout. With enough platforms and equipment, your base can quickly turn into a jumbled mess.
To prevent this, organize your platforms in a 'snake' formation. Each platform has a cable that can connect to another platform. Rather than having several cables going in various directions, attach each platform to the next. This will create a uniform appearance without cables running everywhere.
Dedicated Power Production Zone
Lastly, it's important to have a dedicated power production zone. This is an area where you store all power-producing items, as well as batteries. With these items grouped together, you can easily see how much power you are producing.
If you have a dedicated power production zone, you can quickly add additional platforms and items without struggling to find a location to place them.
Next: Astroneer - Every Flora And Where To Find It