Keep machines within solar coverage
Fixed and Sun-Tracking Solar Panels supply nearby machines wirelessly, with solar generation depending on daylight. Keeping production running after dark depends on stored battery charge, so check coverage, generation, and consumption together.
Being inside a panel's range does not guarantee enough electricity for the whole factory. Your daytime generation needs to exceed the factory's draw so internal machine batteries can recharge before nightfall. Treat a working daytime line as the starting point, then check whether its stored charge can support production through darkness.
Read coverage and generation separately
Wireless range determines where a machine can receive power. Generation determines how much operating demand the supply can support. Check both on the exact structure you are placing, especially when the construction menu uses a different solar model name.
| Structure or machine | Coverage or power |
|---|---|
| Solar Post | 3 kW nominal generation |
| Solar Twin (M) | 7.5 kW nominal generation |
| Pressure Chamber | 10 kW operating demand |
| Stone Press | 18 kW operating demand |
Keep these model names separate when planning purchases. Use the Fixed and Sun-Tracking coverage figures to judge placement, and check the selected structure's generation readout before assigning machinery to it. A larger wireless radius does not by itself tell you how much factory demand the structure can support.
Set up power before the next night
- Equip the Building Tool to access the construction options, including power equipment. Keep a budget for the solar supply alongside the processing machine you intend to run.
- Position the selected solar structure so the machinery it will supply sits within its listed wireless coverage. This establishes reach before you commit to a larger factory layout.
- Read the operating demand of every machine that will use the supply. Include the equipment already running so the new purchase does not quietly exceed the available generation.
- Compare the solar structures' stated generation with the connected machines' combined demand. This gives you a useful supply check before relying on the factory to run unattended.
- Inspect the power readout during daylight for generation above the factory's draw. That surplus allows internal batteries to recharge instead of leaving the installation dependent on sunlight alone.
- Check stored charge before expanding the production line. A factory that operates in sunlight can still stop after sunset when its energy reserve cannot sustain the connected demand.
- Watch the power display after dark to see how stored charge behaves under the actual load. Use that result to judge the next power purchase before adding more processing equipment.
Budget power for the whole production line
Two Solar Posts provide only 6 kW of nominal generation, below a Pressure Chamber's 10 kW requirement. Two Solar Twin (M) units can nominally provide 15 kW in sunlight, exceeding that chamber's demand before other equipment is counted. These examples describe generation capacity; they do not guarantee uninterrupted nighttime operation.
A Pressure Chamber and Stone Press together require 28 kW of operating power before other connected equipment is included. Adding the press therefore changes the supply requirement even if the chamber was running comfortably before. Reserve money for supporting power infrastructure when planning that expansion.
Use stored charge through lunar night
Internal machine batteries supply stored energy when sunlight and active solar generation are insufficient. Production can stop once that charge is depleted, even though the same machines worked during daylight. More daytime generation helps restore energy while sunlight is available, but stored charge determines whether production continues without it.
Separate batteries are not available to build. Plan around the existing internal storage and its charge rather than a separate battery purchase. Adding solar panels during darkness should not be treated as an instant restart for a factory whose reserve has already run out.
Check these when production stops
- Check wireless reach after moving or adding machinery. A nearby panel still needs to cover the machine, and sufficient generation elsewhere does not replace that placement check.
- Check the power display before demolishing equipment that previously worked. Insufficient supply, a reversed machine, and a blocked output can look similar when you only watch the stalled line.
- Check stored energy when production stops after sunset. If the reserve is exhausted, wait for solar generation to recharge it and reassess the factory's consumption before expanding.
- Check total demand after adding processing equipment. A supply that supported the previous layout may no longer be sufficient, even when every machine remains inside wireless coverage.
- Check ingredients and the outgoing route when operating power is sufficient. A Stone Press still needs its material feeds and a clear output, so additional solar equipment cannot solve every production blockage.
Keep foundation layout inside power coverage
Pressure Chambers and Stone Presses can stand across several foundations, including square-foundation layouts. Use that placement freedom to arrange the machinery without treating every foundation seam as a barrier. After changing the footprint, check wireless reach and total demand again before extending the production line.