Energy
Solar Plants, Solar Satellites and Fusion Reactors, and what happens when power runs short.
Mines need energy. The number shown next to Energy in the resource bar is what the planet produces minus what its mines use.
When energy is negative
If mines need more energy than the planet produces, all mines slow down by the same fraction. At half the energy they need, they produce half as much. Nothing breaks, but you lose output until you add power or lower mine settings.
Sources of energy
| Source | How it works | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Solar Plant | A building; output grows with each level. | Uses building fields. The standard early-game choice. |
| Solar Satellite | A ship built at the Shipyard. Each produces energy based on planet temperature (hotter is better). | Needs no fields, but satellites are easily destroyed in an attack. |
| Fusion Reactor | A building that burns deuterium to make energy. Energy Technology increases its output. | Requires Deuterium Synthesizer 5 and Energy Technology 3. Costs deuterium every hour. If deuterium runs out, it runs only as much as the synthesizer can fuel. |
Tips
- Upgrade the Solar Plant just ahead of your mines so energy never goes negative.
- On a hot planet, satellites are strong; on a cold planet, deuterium is plentiful, which suits a Fusion Reactor.
- The Engineer officer adds 10% to all energy output. See Officers.
- Some buildings and research need a minimum energy output to unlock, such as the Terraformer.