This page details everything you need to know about how to power your base by creating a power grid in No Man’s Sky. We’ll cover how to set up a Biofuel Reactor, Battery, Solar Panel, and Electromagnetic Generator. We’ll also cover how to connect these with electrical wiring, and how to control power input and output with electrical switches.

How to Generate Power for Your Base in No Man’s Sky¶

The process of generating power for your base in No Man’s Sky isn’t immediately obvious, especially since you don’t have access to all the relevant methods by default. If you don’t get the blueprints for the below items by waiting on the Base Computer to provide them to you, you’ll be able to purchase them from the Construction Research Station on board the Space Anomlay with Salvaged Data. You can also purchase electrical switches from the same place, allowing you to control when you want power to be generated, and when you want it to be stopped or redirected. These can be connected to power generators or devices which require power via electrical wiring.

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(1 of 2) You’ll find the different kinds of power generators from the Power and Industry build menu once you’ve acquired the blueprints.

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You’ll find the different kinds of power generators from the Power and Industry build menu once you’ve acquired the blueprints. (left), An example of a simple power grid, featuring the Biofuel Reactor, Solar Panel, and Battery connected by Electrical Wiring. (right)

Biofuel Reactor¶

There are a few different ways to generate power for your base in No Man’s Sky. The first that you’re likely to come across is the Biofuel Reactor, since this is introduced to you fairly early on in the game. In terms of function, this is perhaps the most simple of all the power generator items, but it can also be the most tedious to keep running. You’ll need either Carbon, Condensed Carbon, or Oxygen to fuel the Furnace Tank of the Biofuel Reactor. The more you place in the tank, the longer it will generate power. It’s a simple process, but the act of acquiring enough material to fuel it can consume a lot of time that you could be spending doing other things in the game. You will also find that Carbon, Condensed Carbon, and Oxygen have plenty of other uses, so you don’t necessarily want to be putting all that you acquire in the Biofuel Reactor.

With all that said, the Biofuel Reactor is a reliable source of power in the early game, and since all three of its fuel sources aren’t too difficult to find, you can use one or more of these to provide power to basic functions in your base, such as with light sources, or even the more complex (and demanding) Base Teleport Module.

Solar Panel¶

As you begin to make more progress with building your base, the use of a Solar Panel will become more and more appealing. These are much more efficient than a Biofuel Reactor, since you don’t need to actively power them with anything. All you need to do is place them in a suitable location and wait for the sun to come up. The Solar Panel will then begin to generate power, with the amount varying depending on how much sunlight it’s receiving. You don’t need to worry too much about placing a Solar Panel outside, since it can actually generate a significant amount of power even when placed inside a building, so long as there’s enough windows and glass roofs to allow sunlight.

Battery¶

The Battery is the perfect item to pair with a Solar Panel. It will begin to store power from a percentage of 0% - 100% so long as it’s connected to the power grid (also known as “Grid Power Storage” in game). The easiest way to do this is to using Electrical Wiring to connect a Solar Panel to a Battery. Once the Battery is fully charged, it can be used at any time to power items within your base, whether they’re simple lights, Hydroponic Trays, mineral or gas extractors, or teleport modules. If you find that you’re using a lot of power in a large base, it’s a good idea to have more than one Battery setup.

Electromagnetic Generator¶

The Electromagnetic Generator functions in a similar way to Solar Panels, in that it generates power without the need to fuel it with any specific material. Instead, you’ll need to use the Analysis Visor to locate a suitable area where an Electromagnetic Generator can be placed. The Surveying Mode upgrade for the Analysis Visor is required to find these sites, the blueprint for which can be acquired from Iteration: Eos on the Space Anomaly. You can then purchase the Electromagnetic Generator blueprint from the Construction Research Station on the Space Anomaly, allowing you to identify the relevant sites when scanning with the Analysis Visor. The amount of power generated by an Electromagnetic Generator will vary from site to site, but they almost always produce far more power than a Solar Panel or Biofuel Reactor, making them the most efficient source of power.

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(1 of 5) The Biofuel Reactor is currently the only method which requires actively feeding it with specific materials.