Beatrice Lang
In the factory-building and factory-management game Factorio, electricity is a critical resource that powers machinery and structures. Without it, players cannot develop their industries or progress in the game. There are several ways to generate electricity in Factorio, including steam power, solar power, nuclear power, and lightning strikes. Steam power, which involves using offshore pumps, boilers, and steam engines, is the first type of electricity players typically access. Solar power, generated by solar panels, is a clean and sustainable energy source but only functions during the day unless used with accumulators to store energy for nighttime. Nuclear power, the most complicated energy system, involves mining uranium and using a chemical plant to create sulfuric acid. Lastly, lightning strikes can be converted into power through lightning rods and lightning collectors. Players must choose the appropriate energy system and ensure reliable and effective power output to optimize their electricity production in Factorio.
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What You'll Learn
Steam power
First, locate a body of water near your base. The closer the water source is to your base, the less material you'll need to create pipes or electricity poles. Place an offshore pump into the water to draw water from it. This water will be used to generate steam.
Next, build a boiler and connect it to the offshore pump with pipes. The boiler will use the water from the pump to produce steam. Ensure that the boiler always has enough water and fuel to operate efficiently. Coal is a common fuel source for boilers in the early game, but you can also use other solid fuels. You can set up automated systems, such as inserters, to supply fuel to the boiler.
Now, attach a steam engine to the boiler. The steam engine will use the steam produced by the boiler to generate electricity. Place an electric pole within range of the steam engine to collect the electricity. You can connect multiple steam engines to each other to increase your power output.
Finally, monitor your power output and adjust as needed. Watch the satisfaction and output levels to ensure you're producing enough electricity to meet your needs. If you need more power, you can add more boilers, steam engines, and pumps, or explore other power generation methods, such as solar panels or nuclear reactors.
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Solar power
Solar energy is a clean, sustainable, and pollution-free energy source that is gaining popularity in Factorio. Solar panels generate electricity during the day, and the power output varies based on the time of day and the planet's proximity to the sun. To set up a solar power station in Factorio, you will need to install solar panels, accumulators, and electrical poles.
The main source of power in a solar setup will come from solar panels, which will generate electricity during the day. On a planet, the power output varies based on the time of day. During the day, all panels provide a constant, maximum power level. Generated power will increase or decrease linearly during dawn and dusk, and no power is produced at night. The baseline power generated by a panel is 60 kW, which represents 100% power production. On Nauvis, one solar panel produces an average of 42 kW over a day-night cycle. In the Space Age, the closer a planet is to the sun, the more power a solar panel on its surface produces. Additionally, as there is no nighttime in space, solar panels on space platforms will generate energy constantly and at a higher rate than on a planet's surface.
Accumulators are essential for storing excess energy produced during the day so that it can be used at night. The optimal ratio of accumulators to solar panels depends on various factors, including the power generation of the solar panel, the energy storage of the accumulator, and the length of day and night. A commonly suggested ratio is 20:24:1 accumulators to solar panels to megawatts required, which can approximately power a factory requiring 10 MW day and night. Another suggested ratio is 25:21 accumulators to solar panels for optimal energy storage.
To set up a solar power station, you will need to install solar panels, accumulators, and electrical poles. The electrical poles will provide power in a 5x5 grid indicated by the blue square around each pole. When building your solar panel farm, it is recommended to construct it with a power pole in the center of a block of solar panels to maximize the value of your resources.
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Nuclear power
Once you have mined the uranium, you will need to refine it. Uranium ore tends to form smaller deposits, so you may have to search a while to find a good patch. You can set up an outpost around the uranium deposit and have a fluid train come to unload sulphuric acid, and a train to load the mined uranium ore. The uranium ore can then be unloaded at your base into steel chests, and fed into centrifuges to separate the U-235 (the good kind) from the U-238. You will need about one processing centrifuge per reactor, as each centrifuge produces 1 U-235 every 30 minutes on average, and each U-235 provides 10 fuel cells, which will power a reactor for 2000 seconds.
The next step is to burn the fuel in a nuclear reactor. A single reactor will produce 40 MW of heat energy, and with the bonuses from neighbouring reactors, it can go up to 160 MW or more. The reactor will consume one fuel cell every 200 seconds, regardless of the need, so it is important to be mindful of fuel waste. The reactor will heat up to a maximum temperature of 1000°C, and any additional fuel burned after this point will be wasted. The reactor will also produce "used up uranium fuel cells", which will need to be cleared and can eventually be reprocessed into U-238.
To turn the heat energy into electricity, you will need heat exchangers and steam turbines. The number of heat exchangers required depends on the number of reactors and how many edges the reactors touch. Each exchanger will provide up to 10 MW of power, and you will need 1.718 turbines per exchanger. Nuclear reactors do not scale down power usage, so it is important to be mindful of fuel consumption and waste.
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Connecting machinery
One of the simplest ways to generate electricity is through steam power. To connect machinery to this power source, you'll need to set up an offshore pump, a boiler, and a steam engine in that sequence. The boiler will need a fuel source, such as coal or wood, which can be fed directly into the boiler using a conveyor belt and an inserter. Ensure the boiler has enough water, as one boiler consumes 6 units of water per second. Next, connect the steam engine to the electric system using power poles. These poles will provide power in a 5x5 grid, indicated by a blue square around each pole. You can then use wooden poles to connect the engine with the machinery in your factory.
Another method for generating electricity is through solar power. This option provides free energy during daylight hours, but you'll need to set up accumulators to store excess energy for nighttime use. The optimal ratio is around 25 solar panels to 21 accumulators. When constructing your solar panel farm, place a power pole in the centre of a block of solar panels to maximise resource utilisation.
Factorio also offers more advanced power sources, such as nuclear power and lightning rods. Nuclear power involves mining uranium and pumping sulphuric acid into the drills to extract the uranium. Lightning rods convert lightning strikes into power, but a vast network of accumulators is required to capture all the energy from a single strike.
It's important to monitor the performance of your power plant to ensure it's working at optimal efficiency. If the performance gauge is at 10%, it indicates that you're only utilising 10% of your plant's capacity, and you can add more machinery. However, if the performance indicator is at full capacity, some devices may not receive sufficient power.
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Power output
To optimise power output, it is important to periodically evaluate both your production and satisfaction levels to ensure reliability and effectiveness. Power switches and combinators can be used to control the energy flow to equipment and adjust power output to match demand.
One way to increase power output is to simply add more machines to your power plant if it is not operating at full capacity. You can also increase the number of offshore steam engines, boilers, and pumps to increase electricity production. Another option is to link your machinery to the power plant using larger electric poles.
If you are using solar panels, you can expand your system with extra panels and accumulators to produce more electricity. The proportion of solar panels to accumulators should be around 25:21 for optimal energy storage. However, keep in mind that environmental factors such as low light and pollution can reduce energy generation from solar panels.
For steam power, the optimal ratio is one boiler to two steam engines, with each boiler consuming 1.8MW of fuel and each steam engine consuming 0.9MW of energy. One offshore pump can supply 200 boilers and 400 steam engines.
Lastly, nuclear power is the most complicated energy system in Factorio and requires mining uranium, pumping sulphuric acid into the drills, and attaching pipes between the drills.
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Frequently asked questions
The simplest setup to get electricity in Factorio is to first build an offshore pump, then a boiler, and finally a steam engine. You can then use wooden poles to connect the engine with the electric components in your factory.
Other ways to generate electricity in Factorio include solar power, nuclear power, and lightning rods & lightning collectors.
You can inspect the performance indicator to determine if your power plant is working at optimal efficiency. If the performance gauge is at 10%, you are only using 10% of your power plant's capacity, and you can add more machines. If the performance indicator is at full capacity, some of your devices may not be receiving enough power.
