Electricity

*Note: This page contains a brief overview of how electricity works in the game. It will be expanded with more information over time.*

## Electricity Overview

You can use electricity to power various items such as lights which are helpful during the dark nights.

TLDR: Build a "Battery" table to store power, charge it with a "Solar Power Station (solar panels) or "Fuel Generator" (electricity generator powered by fuel) or "Thermal Generator" then use the power for your "Wall Lamp" (or other lights) and other electrical items (e.g. the "Cooking Station").

## Battery (Table)

   A "Battery" table stores power from your electricity generation sources (solar, generator, thermal) then distributes it to your electrical items such as lights, stove, etc.

You can also view the dedicated wiki page for the "Battery" table by clicking here.

Before building a "Battery" table you first need to unlock it in the "Technology" tree. To unlock it you need the following items:

* "Electrification Grade 2" = See the "Skills" page for more information.
* "Engineering Grade 2" = See the "Skills" page for more information.
* 1 x "Electronic Component" = Loot or craft in later game stages.

Once it has been unlocked, use the "Construction Hammer" and go to the "Synthesis" tab. Choose the "Battery " table and place the blueprint. Add the following items to the blueprint to complete it:

* 5 x "Board" = Craft at the "Processing Table" from "Log".
* 9 x "Simple Parts" = Loot or craft at the "Processing Table".
* 9 x "Electronic Component" = Loot or craft in later game stages.
* 20 x "Electric Wire" = Loot or craft at the "Processing Table".
* 1 x "Inverter" = Loot.
* 1 x "Toolbox" = Loot or craft at the "Processing Table" or the "Machining Table".

After the "Battery" table has been placed you can set its name which is then used to connect other charging and usage items.

The "Battery" table name can be set by using the text box in the upper right corner of the UI.

Next add at least one battery to the "Battery" table. The "Battery" table stores power by charging up to eight separate batteries. It can use the following batteries:

Please note that the icon shown for the "Small Household Battery" and the "Large Household Battery" are exactly the same so you need to hover over it to read the text in order to distinguish between the two.

Small Household Battery Description
Large Household Battery Description

## Charging The Battery Table Batteries

Your "Battery" table contains batteries that need to be charged. You can charge them by using the methods listed below. Some methods are faster than others whilst other methods need no resources (e.g. the "Solar Power Station").

When building one of the charging methods keep the following in mind:

* Build it within range of your "Battery" table.
* If it is solar then build it outside where the sun can shine on the panels.

You can see the range of your "Battery" table by using the interface and clicking on the "Available Range" button. The effective range will be indicated by blue shading. The range is quite large but not infinite. If you have a large base you may need to build your "Battery" table more central or building more than one.

### Solar Power Station

You can charge the batteries in the "Battery" table by building a "Solar Power Station". It needs to be built outside where it can be in direct sunlight during the day. To unlock it you need:

* 1 x "Solar Group Drawings" = Can be found when looting.
* 3 x 'Electronic Component" = Loot or craft in later game stages.
* "Electrification Grade 3" = See the "Skills" page for more information.
* "Engineering Grade 2" = See the "Skills" page for more information.

To build the "Solar Power Station" you need the following items:

* 15 x "Iron Ingot" = Craft at "Melting Furnace" (refine "Iron Ore" to "Iron Block" to "Iron Ingot").
* 20 x "Delicate Part" = Loot or make once unlocked.
* 10 x "Electric Wire" = Loot or craft at "Processing Table" once unlocked.
* 10 x "Electronic Component" = Loot or craft in later game stages.
* 10 x "Copper Ingot" = Craft at "Melting Furnace" (refine "Copper Ore" to "Copper Block" to "Copper Ingot").
* 3 x "Toolbox" = Loot or craft at "Processing Table" once unlocked.

    After you have built the "Solar Power Station" use the interface as follows:

* "Electricity" tab = "Connect" the "Solar Power Station" to the "Battery" table.
* "Main Interface" tab = Add "Solar Battery Pack" (Solar Panel) which you get from looting. Each "Solar Battery Pack" (Solar Panel) can generate between 50 and 300w of power (200w is most common). The more you add the faster the batteries will charge. See the image to the right which shows the interface.

Now during the day The "Solar Power Station" will charge the batteries in the "Battery" table. The more "Solar Battery Pack" (Solar Panel) you have the quicker it will charge.

### Fuel Generator

Charging the batteries is also possible by building a "Fuel Generator" (Electricity Generator powered by Fuel). Click here to visit the "Fuel Generator" wiki page.

### Thermal Generator

Charging the batteries is also possible by building a "Thermal Generator".

## Wall Lamp (Base Lighting)

The easiest electrical light you can create is the "Wall Lamp". Once unlocked, it can be found on the "Furniture" tab when using the "Construction Hammer". You can place it on a wall or column.

A "Wall Lamp" can be switched on or off by building a "Switch" nearby. You set the "Switch" that is linked to the "Wall Light" by using the "Switch" tab in the user interface.