Official Factorio Wiki - User contributions [en]

Fusion reactor

2026-03-30T00:04:21Z

Nelson: add caption

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Fusion reactor}}
{{About/Space age}}
The '''fusion reactor''' generates [[plasma]]{{SA}} from [[fusion power cell]]s{{SA}}, [[fluoroketone (cold)]]{{SA}}, and electricity. The plasma can be used in a [[fusion generator]]{{SA}} to generate power. Unlike the [[nuclear reactor]], a fusion fuel cell usage scales with the plasma output, so no energy is lost. At full power draw, a single fusion power cell will be consumed in 400 seconds. A single reactor can output 100 MW worth of plasma.

A reactor requires 10 MW of power to generate plasma. As such, starting a reactor setup requires some external power, but once plasma is in the generators, the reactor setup can power itself.

Fluoroketone is not permanently consumed by a fusion reactor setup; it is used as a coolant. The coolant is (effectively) converted into an equal amount of plasma by the reactor, and the generator produces hot fluoroketone based on how much plasma the generator consumes, so any cold fluoroketone consumed by a reactor will be regenerated by the generator. To keep the loop going, a [[cryogenic plant]] must cool the hot fluoroketone back to cold before recirculating it into the reactor.

Each reactor consumes at most 4 cold fluoroketone per second. Assuming no modules are used, 1 cryogenic plant can cool enough fluoroketone for one reactor.

== Neighbour bonus ==
Like nuclear reactors, fusion reactors receive a bonus for adjacent operating reactors, which increases the energy potential of the generated plasma by 100% per linked reactor. Fusion reactors differ in that the bonus only requires an adjacent reactor to share one fluid connection rather than three heat connections; connecting two outputs to the same reactor grants no additional benefit. Reactors have 2 fluid connections on each side, so the highest bonus a reactor can practically receive (while still leaving room to insert fusion power cells) is +500%.

Unlike other power generators, the heat of the plasma generated is variable and is determined by the reactor's neighbour bonus. With no bonus, the plasma generated is at 1 million °C. With a 100% bonus, the plasma generated is at 2 million °C, and so on. Different reactors in an array can generate plasma at different temperatures, with the temperatures averaging out within the plasma fluid system. Fusion generators will generate power based on the heat of the plasma they are consuming, up to their maximum of 50 MW each.

The amount of cold fluoroketone consumed by the reactor to generate power does not change with the neighbour bonus - it will always be 4/s (modified by quality). Two separate reactors will consume the same amount of cold fluoroketone per second at max power draw as two adjacent reactors with a neighbour bonus. Larger arrays of reactors and generators will require more fluoroketone to exist in the system, simply because there are more fluid pipes for the coolant and plasma to go through, but they do not require constantly adding more to the system.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Fusion ratios
|-
! Reactors !! Generators !! Power
|-
| 1 || 2 || 100MW
|-
| 2 || 8 || 400MW
|-
| 3 || 18 || 900MW
|-
| 4 || 28 || 1400MW
|}

== Achievements ==
{{Achievement|fusion-power}}

== History ==
{{history|2.0.7|
* Introduced in [[Space Age]]{{SA}} expansion.
}}

== See also ==
* [[Aquilo]]{{SA}}
* [[Fusion generator]]{{SA}}
* [[Power production]]
* [[Plasma]]{{SA}}

{{ProductionNav}}
{{C|Energy}}

Fusion reactor

2026-03-30T00:04:02Z

Nelson: Table of ratios for neighbors. Could use review and expansion.

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Fusion reactor}}
{{About/Space age}}
The '''fusion reactor''' generates [[plasma]]{{SA}} from [[fusion power cell]]s{{SA}}, [[fluoroketone (cold)]]{{SA}}, and electricity. The plasma can be used in a [[fusion generator]]{{SA}} to generate power. Unlike the [[nuclear reactor]], a fusion fuel cell usage scales with the plasma output, so no energy is lost. At full power draw, a single fusion power cell will be consumed in 400 seconds. A single reactor can output 100 MW worth of plasma.

A reactor requires 10 MW of power to generate plasma. As such, starting a reactor setup requires some external power, but once plasma is in the generators, the reactor setup can power itself.

Fluoroketone is not permanently consumed by a fusion reactor setup; it is used as a coolant. The coolant is (effectively) converted into an equal amount of plasma by the reactor, and the generator produces hot fluoroketone based on how much plasma the generator consumes, so any cold fluoroketone consumed by a reactor will be regenerated by the generator. To keep the loop going, a [[cryogenic plant]] must cool the hot fluoroketone back to cold before recirculating it into the reactor.

Each reactor consumes at most 4 cold fluoroketone per second. Assuming no modules are used, 1 cryogenic plant can cool enough fluoroketone for one reactor.

== Neighbour bonus ==
Like nuclear reactors, fusion reactors receive a bonus for adjacent operating reactors, which increases the energy potential of the generated plasma by 100% per linked reactor. Fusion reactors differ in that the bonus only requires an adjacent reactor to share one fluid connection rather than three heat connections; connecting two outputs to the same reactor grants no additional benefit. Reactors have 2 fluid connections on each side, so the highest bonus a reactor can practically receive (while still leaving room to insert fusion power cells) is +500%.

Unlike other power generators, the heat of the plasma generated is variable and is determined by the reactor's neighbour bonus. With no bonus, the plasma generated is at 1 million °C. With a 100% bonus, the plasma generated is at 2 million °C, and so on. Different reactors in an array can generate plasma at different temperatures, with the temperatures averaging out within the plasma fluid system. Fusion generators will generate power based on the heat of the plasma they are consuming, up to their maximum of 50 MW each.

The amount of cold fluoroketone consumed by the reactor to generate power does not change with the neighbour bonus - it will always be 4/s (modified by quality). Two separate reactors will consume the same amount of cold fluoroketone per second at max power draw as two adjacent reactors with a neighbour bonus. Larger arrays of reactors and generators will require more fluoroketone to exist in the system, simply because there are more fluid pipes for the coolant and plasma to go through, but they do not require constantly adding more to the system.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Caption text
|-
! Reactors !! Generators !! Power
|-
| 1 || 2 || 100MW
|-
| 2 || 8 || 400MW
|-
| 3 || 18 || 900MW
|-
| 4 || 28 || 1400MW
|}

== Achievements ==
{{Achievement|fusion-power}}

== History ==
{{history|2.0.7|
* Introduced in [[Space Age]]{{SA}} expansion.
}}

== See also ==
* [[Aquilo]]{{SA}}
* [[Fusion generator]]{{SA}}
* [[Power production]]
* [[Plasma]]{{SA}}

{{ProductionNav}}
{{C|Energy}}

Tile

2026-02-13T18:20:21Z

Nelson: link to list of terrain tile types

{{Languages}}{{About|placeable tiles|the area and distance unit|map structure#Tile|caption1=map structure|a list of terrain tiles|Data.raw#tile|caption2=data.raw}}
[[File:Tiles-ExamplePaths.png|thumb|right|400px|An example of using [[refined concrete]] and [[refined hazard concrete]] for aesthetic design and to improve walking speed around a [[mining]] outpost.]]

A '''tile''' is an item that can be placed by the player to modify the 'floor' of the game world. Ground tiles are tiles that modify whether terrain can be buildable or walkable. For example, [[landfill]] places a ground tile that converts [[water]] to buildable ground. Path tiles improve walking and driving speeds and can be used for decorative purposes, at the cost of significantly reducing the absorption of [[pollution]].

== List of tiles ==

{| class="wikitable"
!style="width: 240px;" | Name || Type || Walking speed modifier || Placement restrictions
|-
| {{imagelink|Stone brick}} || Path || +30% ||
|-
| {{imagelink|Concrete}} || Path || +40% ||
|-
| {{imagelink|Hazard concrete}} || Path || +40% ||
|-
| {{imagelink|Refined concrete}} || Path || +50% ||
|-
| {{imagelink|Refined hazard concrete}} || Path || +50% ||
|-
| {{imagelink|Landfill}} || Ground || N/A || Only on tiles containing [[water]] (shallow or deep)
|-
| {{imagelink|Artificial yumako soil|space-age=yes}} || Ground || N/A || Only on yumako wetland on [[Gleba]]
|-
| {{imagelink|Overgrowth yumako soil|space-age=yes}} || Ground || N/A || Only in yellow biome tiles on [[Gleba]]
|-
| {{imagelink|Artificial jellynut soil|space-age=yes}} || Ground || N/A || Only on jellynut wetland tiles on [[Gleba]]
|-
| {{imagelink|Overgrowth jellynut soil|space-age=yes}} || Ground || N/A || Only on purple biome tiles on [[Gleba]]
|-
| {{imagelink|Ice platform|space-age=yes}} || Ground || N/A || Only on ammonical sea tiles on [[Aquilo]]
|-
| {{imagelink|Space platform foundation|space-age=yes}} || Ground || N/A || Only on [[Space platform]]s
|-
| {{imagelink|Foundation|space-age=yes}} || Ground || N/A || Only on water, all Gleba marsh and wetland, [[oil ocean]] tiles on [[Fulgora]] or [[lava]] tiles on [[Vulcanus]]
|}

== Paths ==

Path tiles apply bonuses to the walking speed of the player and reduce rolling resistances for [[car]]s and [[tank]]s, improving their acceleration and top speed. They do not increase the speed of [[enemies]].

Paths effectively prevent the absorption of pollution by the underlying terrain, which can lead to an increased number of attacks from enemies.

In addition to the practical benefits to walking and driving speed, paths are often used for decorative purposes and to visually highlight important areas of the base.

== Usage ==
[[File:Tiles-DemoPlaceRemove.gif|thumb|right|400x336px|A demonstration of first placing then removing refined concrete. The building area is adjusted several times.]]
=== Placing ===

Tiles are placed by holding them in the hand and clicking {{Keybinding|lmb}}. The mouse can be dragged while the button is held to 'paint' tiles over a wide area.

The building area for tiles can be increased by pressing {{Keybinding|PAD +}} and reduced again by pressing {{Keybinding|PAD -}}. This allows the player to place a much larger number of tiles at one time, effectively having a larger 'brush' with which to apply tiles to the map.

Path tiles can be placed where entities already exist and will appear underneath them. Likewise entities can later be placed on top of constructed tiles, including paths being placed on top of landfill. Landfill can only be placed on water.

=== Removing paths ===

Path tiles can be removed (mined) by holding {{Keybinding|rmb}} while holding any type of tile in the hand. As with placing tiles, the mouse can be dragged over an area and the size of the building area can be increased or decreased to control how many tiles will be removed at a time. Mined path tiles will be placed back in the player's inventory.

Landfill cannot be removed once placed.

=== Swapping paths ===

Any path tile can be placed over any other path tile to replace it. The original tiles will be placed back into the player's inventory.

=== Blueprints, deconstruction planners and construction robots ===

Tiles are not included in a [[blueprint]] unless they are the only eligible object in the selected area, or when the '''Tiles''' tick-box is ticked. Within a blueprint it is not currently possible for one tile to exist on top of another; in practice this means that a path tile such as [[stone brick]] or [[concrete]] cannot exist on top of landfill in a blueprint. If a blueprint is taken of a path tile on top of landfill, only the path tile will be stored in the blueprint.

When a filtered [[deconstruction planner]] is used tiles are configured separately from entities, appearing under the '''Tiles''' tab.

Tile [[ghost]]s will be constructed by [[construction robot]]s. As construction robots are limited in the number of objects they can hold at once, and given that paths often involve hundreds or thousands of tiles, placing a large area of path or landfill with bots may take a long time and draw a significant amount of [[electric system|electricity]] for bot recharging.

=== Quality ===

Items that change tiles, such as stone bricks or concrete, can be produced in higher [[quality]] in the same manner as other manufactured items, but when placed on the ground they function identically to the base item regardless of quality, and if removed return the normal variant.

== History ==

{{History|0.17.10|
* Landfill is now a separate tile, differentiated from grass-1.}}

{{History|0.17.0|
* Landfill can now be included in blueprints and placed by construction robots.
* Tile construction jobs are now handled separately by construction robots, to prevent entity ghosts not being built due to large number of tile ghosts.}}

{{History|0.16.27|
* Refined concrete and refined hazard concrete introduced.}}

{{History|0.13.0|
* Landfill introduced.
* Hazard concrete introduced.}}

{{History|0.12.0|
* Concrete introduced.}}

{{History|0.3.0|
* Stone brick introduced.}}

== See also ==
* [[Blueprint]]
* [[Deconstruction planner]]
* [[Construction robot]]

{{C|Logistics{{!}}#Tile}}

Map structure

2026-02-13T18:15:39Z

Nelson: some more tips for identifying tiles in game

{{Languages}}
'''Map structure''' describes the division of the game world into standard [[Units|units]]: tiles and chunks. Tiles are the building blocks of the game, upon which all distance and area measurements are based. Chunks are blocks of 32×32 tiles used for various area-based calculations.

== Tile ==
''This section is about the area and distance unit. For placeable tiles, see [[tile]].''

[[File:MapStructure-GridExample.png|thumb|right|400px|The tile grid shown in-game; chunks (32×32 tiles) are indicated by the thicker black lines. Click to see at higher resolution.]]

A '''tile''' is a square which defines the smallest possible piece of the game world; the map is built on a grid of tiles. The tile is the basis for all area and distance measurement. Entity sizes are defined in terms of tiles; for example the [[rocket silo]] - the largest entity in the game - is 9 tiles wide and 9 tiles high, usually referred to as 9×9. The smallest possible entity size is therefore one tile, 1×1. Examples of 1×1 entities include [[transport belts]] and [[chests]].

The [[Map_generator#Maximum_map_size_and_used_memory|maximum size of the map]] is a square 2 million tiles on each side, a total of 4 trillion tiles. In practice the map in an average game is likely to be in the range of hundreds of thousands of tiles up to a few million at most.

=== Tile grid alignment ===

Almost all placeable entities are aligned to the tile grid when placed in the game. Exceptions include the [[land mine]] and vehicles such as the [[car]], [[tank]], [[locomotive]] and [[wagon]]s. Non-placeable entities that do not align to the grid include [[enemies]], [[tree]]s and decoratives.

[[File:MapStructure-PlaceableOffGridExample.png|thumb|none|300px|A few entities can be placed without aligning to the tile grid; this example shows cars, tanks and landmines.]]

=== Example distances ===

* Area covered by [[Radar]]: about 200 tiles diameter (100 tiles in each direction, bounded to the matching [[#Chunk|chunk]]).
* It takes about 1 minutes and 52 seconds for a player to run 1000 tiles without being given a speed boost (such as via an [[exoskeleton]]).

=== Real world size analogy ===

One tile is generally assumed to be one square meter in size. This measurement is proven to be technically true, and can be verified in-game. A test conducted via car will reveal that covering 250 tiles at 208.0 km/h (57.777 m/s) will take 260 game ticks (4.333 s). Using this data, it can be proven that <code>57.777 m/s ÷ (250 tiles / 4.333 s) ≈ 1 m/tile</code>.


== Chunk ==

[[File:radar_revealing_sectors.gif|thumb|220px|Animation of radars revealing chunks.]]

The map is divided into a grid of '''chunks''', each 32x32 tiles (1024 tiles total).

Several mechanics work on a chunk-by-chunk basis:
* The map is generated chunk-by-chunk during play. 20 chunks distance in each direction around each player is slowly generated over time, or immediately if revealed directly and not yet generated.
* [[Player|Players]], [[Radar|radars]], [[Roboport|roboports]], [[Spidertron|spidertrons]], and fired [[Artillery|artillery shells]] reveal chunks and provide [[Radar#Coverage|live coverage]] in remote view on a chunk basis.
* [[Pollution]] and [[Spores|spores]]{{SA}} are calculated and spread on a chunk basis. (This can generate chunks without revealing them.)
* [[Enemies#Expansions|Enemy expansion]] is calculated on a chunk basis.
* [[Demolisher]]{{SA}} territories are chunk-aligned.
* Enemy pathfinding works in multiple stages, and the first stage is chunk-based. [https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-317] An unintended result is enemies tend to walk along chunk borders. Also biters and spitters will sometimes attack obstacles at chunk borders that they would normally navigate around.
* To reduce computation, entire chunks are set inactive when nothing important is happening in them. E.g.: Chunks with only fish or idling enemies may be set inactive, halting their idle movement.

== Visualizing tiles and chunks in-game ==

A tile grid overlay is available which shows the grid upon which the map is built:

* The grid can be shown whenever the player pauses the game (by default with {{Keybinding|shift|space}}).
** This is configured under Settings->Interface->'''Show grid when game is paused'''.
* To see the grid while the game is still running, [[Debug mode|debug settings]] can be used:
** Pressing {{Keybinding|F4}} will show the '''Debug settings''' window.
** Ticking '''show-tile-grid''' under '''always''' will show the grid at all times; ticking it under '''debug''' will show it only when debug mode is activated.
** If '''debug''' is chosen the grid will become visible whenever {{Keybinding|F5}} is used to enable debug display. Configuring debug mode in this way allows {{Keybinding|F5}} to be used as a convenient toggle for turning the grid on and off, which can be useful when attempting to place entities according to a neat and/or symmetrical design.
* To see the tile types as simple squares instead of smoothly rendered contours, enable the debug setting '''show-raw-tile-transitions'''
* Alt-clicking a tile in the terrain will bring up the Factoriopedia entry with the tile's name.
{{C|Main}}

Solar panel

2025-12-29T23:42:36Z

Nelson: add a column for ratios for approximate integer ratios

{{languages}}
{{:Infobox:Solar panel}}

'''Solar panels''' are an unlimited source of free [[Electric system|energy]] that produce no [[pollution]]. On a planet, the power output varies based on the [[Time#Days|time of day]]. During the day (half of a day/night cycle), all panels provide a constant, maximum power level. Generated power will increase/decrease linearly during dawn and dusk, and no power is produced at night.

The baseline power generated by a panel is 60 kW; this represents 100% power production.

On [[Nauvis]], one solar panel produces an average of 42 kW over a day/night cycle.

In [[Space Age]]{{SA}}, different planets provide a bonus or penalty to panel output. These modifiers are based on 60 kW as the baseline 100% power of a panel. Planets also have their own day/night cycle lengths, so the average power produced by panels over a day/night cycle can change.

[[Space platform]]s{{SA}} do not have day/night cycles; panels produce a constant amount of power while at a location in space. If a platform is moving between locations, the power output will raise or lower based on how far it is between the source location and destination. If the source location offers 200% solar power, and the destination has 300%, then a platform halfway between will have its solar panels offer 250% power.

[[Quality]]{{SA}} panels also provide higher than 100% power output.

== Energy management ==
As already stated, solar panels produce energy only during the day, but you likely want your factory to run at night as well. [[Accumulator]]s can be charged up with solar panels during the day to power the base at night.

Accumulators are not the only way to work with solar energy. Sometimes it is more economical to just avoid consuming energy at night. For example, if you power a bunch of [[electric mining drill]]s and [[electric furnace]]s to produce [[Iron plate|iron]] and [[copper plate]]s, you could build more drills and furnaces than you actually need, and store the excess metal production during the day. At night you can shut down the drills and furnaces, and let your factory run with the stored plates. Instead of storing energy, you would be storing what the energy is used for. The easiest way to achieve this is by connecting all your extractors and furnaces to an electric network with exactly enough solar panels to make them work during the day, and keeping this network away from your factory's main electric network.

== Notes ==
* A single (normal quality) solar panel outputs an average of 42 kW over a day on [[Nauvis]] and requires 0.84672 ≈ 0.85 accumulators to sustain a constant power output through the night.
* It takes approximately 23.8 solar panels to operate 1 MW of factory '''and''' charge 20.2 accumulators to sustain that 1 MW through the night.
** The common rule-of-thumb is 25 solar panels to 21 accumulators to generate about 1 MW (really 1.04 MW + 5/3 kW). A simpler close ratio is 6 solar panels to 5 accumulators, ≈ 0.83 accumulators / solar panels.
* The optimal ratio for normal quality solar panels to charge enough normal quality accumulators on Nauvis is 2646 accumulators for 3125 solar panels (supplying 42 kW per solar panel).
[[File:Solar efficiency.png|thumb|none|400px|Solar efficiency graph over time. (click to enlarge)]]

== Space Age ==
{{About/Space age}}
In 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.

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Location !! In atmosphere !! In space
|-
| [[Vulcanus]] || 400% || 600%
|-
| [[Nauvis]] || 100% || 300%
|-
| [[Gleba]] || 50% || 200%
|-
| [[Fulgora]] || 20% || 120%
|-
| [[Aquilo]] || 1% || 60%
|-
| [[Solar system edge]] || N/A || 1%
|-
| [[Shattered planet]] || N/A || 1%
|}

== Optimal ratios ==
The optimal ratio of solar panels to accumulators varies depending on the [[Quality|qualities]]{{SA}} of both the solar panels and accumulators, as well as the planets they're constructed on.

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Location
! Accumulators per solar panel
! Approximate Ratios
|-
| [[Nauvis]]
| {{Quality|0.8467200|1.1007360|1.3547520|1.6087680|2.1168000}}
| {{Quality|25:21|25:28|25:34|25:40|25:53}}
|-
| [[Vulcanus]]{{SA}}
| {{Quality|0.7257600|0.9434880|1.1612160|1.3789440|1.8144000}}
| {{Quality|25:18|25:24|25:29|25:34|25:45}}
|-
| [[Gleba]]{{SA}}
| {{Quality|0.6048000|0.7862400|0.9676800|1.1491200|1.5120000}}
| {{Quality|5:3|5:4|1:1|5:6|5:8}}
|-
| [[Fulgora]]{{SA}}
| {{Quality|0.0725760|0.0943488|0.1161216|0.1378944|0.1814400}}
| {{Quality|14:1|11:1|9:1|7:1|11:2}}
|-
| [[Aquilo]]{{SA}}
| {{Quality|0.0241920|0.0314496|0.0387072|0.0459648|0.0604800}}
| {{Quality|41:1|32:1|26:1|22:1|17:1}}
|}

Note that the quality shown in the table is the quality of the '''solar panels''' only, and assumes normal accumulator quality. When using accumulators of other qualities, divide the ratio shown by 2/3/4/6 for uncommon/rare/epic/legendary, respectively. All ratios are exact numbers with no rounding.

== Achievements ==
{{Achievement|solar-power}}
{{Achievement|solaris}}
{{Achievement|steam-all-the-way}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths="300px" heights="200px">
Solar array01.png|A typical solar power array with accumulators.
Solar farm titlescreen.png|Construction robots are building a solar farm, seen on the expansion's title screen.
Solar outpost titlescreen.png|An outpost powered by solar arrays, seen on the expansion's title screen.
</gallery>

== History ==
{{history|0.13.2|
* Changed tech requirement from Adv. Electronics to Electronics.}}

{{history|0.12.11|
* Energy of the solar panel is now fractioned between all the networks it's connected to.}}

{{history|0.12.0|
* Massive optimisations to solar panel logic.}}

{{history|0.11.0|
* Significantly slowed crafting speed to 10 secs from 0.5 sec.}}

{{history|0.7.1|
* Made solar panels pre-science pack 3.}}

{{history|0.5.0|
* Unplugged icon shown when not connected to any power transfer device.}}

{{history|0.3.0|
* New solar panel graphics.}}

{{history|0.2.1|
* Priority of power consumption changed to consume from solar panel first.}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Electric system]]
* [[Accumulator]]
* [[Power_production#Optimal_ratio|Calculating the optimal ratio of accumulators to solar panels]]
* A [https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=9314 Solar Power Excel sheet]
* [https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=8949 (Forum topic) The way I solar]
* [[Game-day]]

{{ProductionNav}}
{{C|Energy}}

Solar panel

2025-12-29T23:40:33Z

Nelson: Undo revision 216871 by Nelson (talk)

{{languages}}
{{:Infobox:Solar panel}}

'''Solar panels''' are an unlimited source of free [[Electric system|energy]] that produce no [[pollution]]. On a planet, the power output varies based on the [[Time#Days|time of day]]. During the day (half of a day/night cycle), all panels provide a constant, maximum power level. Generated power will increase/decrease linearly during dawn and dusk, and no power is produced at night.

The baseline power generated by a panel is 60 kW; this represents 100% power production.

On [[Nauvis]], one solar panel produces an average of 42 kW over a day/night cycle.

In [[Space Age]]{{SA}}, different planets provide a bonus or penalty to panel output. These modifiers are based on 60 kW as the baseline 100% power of a panel. Planets also have their own day/night cycle lengths, so the average power produced by panels over a day/night cycle can change.

[[Space platform]]s{{SA}} do not have day/night cycles; panels produce a constant amount of power while at a location in space. If a platform is moving between locations, the power output will raise or lower based on how far it is between the source location and destination. If the source location offers 200% solar power, and the destination has 300%, then a platform halfway between will have its solar panels offer 250% power.

[[Quality]]{{SA}} panels also provide higher than 100% power output.

== Energy management ==
As already stated, solar panels produce energy only during the day, but you likely want your factory to run at night as well. [[Accumulator]]s can be charged up with solar panels during the day to power the base at night.

Accumulators are not the only way to work with solar energy. Sometimes it is more economical to just avoid consuming energy at night. For example, if you power a bunch of [[electric mining drill]]s and [[electric furnace]]s to produce [[Iron plate|iron]] and [[copper plate]]s, you could build more drills and furnaces than you actually need, and store the excess metal production during the day. At night you can shut down the drills and furnaces, and let your factory run with the stored plates. Instead of storing energy, you would be storing what the energy is used for. The easiest way to achieve this is by connecting all your extractors and furnaces to an electric network with exactly enough solar panels to make them work during the day, and keeping this network away from your factory's main electric network.

== Notes ==
* A single (normal quality) solar panel outputs an average of 42 kW over a day on [[Nauvis]] and requires 0.84672 ≈ 0.85 accumulators to sustain a constant power output through the night.
* It takes approximately 23.8 solar panels to operate 1 MW of factory '''and''' charge 20.2 accumulators to sustain that 1 MW through the night.
** The common rule-of-thumb is 25 solar panels to 21 accumulators to generate about 1 MW (really 1.04 MW + 5/3 kW). A simpler close ratio is 6 solar panels to 5 accumulators, ≈ 0.83 accumulators / solar panels.
* The optimal ratio for normal quality solar panels to charge enough normal quality accumulators on Nauvis is 2646 accumulators for 3125 solar panels (supplying 42 kW per solar panel).
[[File:Solar efficiency.png|thumb|none|400px|Solar efficiency graph over time. (click to enlarge)]]

== Space Age ==
{{About/Space age}}
In 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.

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Location !! In atmosphere !! In space
|-
| [[Vulcanus]] || 400% || 600%
|-
| [[Nauvis]] || 100% || 300%
|-
| [[Gleba]] || 50% || 200%
|-
| [[Fulgora]] || 20% || 120%
|-
| [[Aquilo]] || 1% || 60%
|-
| [[Solar system edge]] || N/A || 1%
|-
| [[Shattered planet]] || N/A || 1%
|}

== Optimal ratios ==
The optimal ratio of solar panels to accumulators varies depending on the [[Quality|qualities]]{{SA}} of both the solar panels and accumulators, as well as the planets they're constructed on.

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Location !! Accumulators per solar panel
|-
| [[Nauvis]] || {{Quality|0.8467200|1.1007360|1.3547520|1.6087680|2.1168000}}
|-
| [[Vulcanus]]{{SA}} || {{Quality|0.7257600|0.9434880|1.1612160|1.3789440|1.8144000}}
|-
| [[Gleba]]{{SA}} || {{Quality|0.6048000|0.7862400|0.9676800|1.1491200|1.5120000}}
|-
| [[Fulgora]]{{SA}} || {{Quality|0.0725760|0.0943880|0.1161216|0.1378944|0.1814400}}
|-
| [[Aquilo]]{{SA}} || {{Quality|0.0241920|0.0314496|0.0387072|0.0459648|0.0604800}}
|}

Note that the quality shown in the table is the quality of the '''solar panels''' only, and assumes normal accumulator quality. When using accumulators of other qualities, divide the ratio shown by 2/3/4/6 for uncommon/rare/epic/legendary, respectively. All ratios are exact numbers with no rounding.

== Achievements ==
{{Achievement|solar-power}}
{{Achievement|solaris}}
{{Achievement|steam-all-the-way}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths="300px" heights="200px">
Solar array01.png|A typical solar power array with accumulators.
Solar farm titlescreen.png|Construction robots are building a solar farm, seen on the expansion's title screen.
Solar outpost titlescreen.png|An outpost powered by solar arrays, seen on the expansion's title screen.
</gallery>

== History ==
{{history|0.13.2|
* Changed tech requirement from Adv. Electronics to Electronics.}}

{{history|0.12.11|
* Energy of the solar panel is now fractioned between all the networks it's connected to.}}

{{history|0.12.0|
* Massive optimisations to solar panel logic.}}

{{history|0.11.0|
* Significantly slowed crafting speed to 10 secs from 0.5 sec.}}

{{history|0.7.1|
* Made solar panels pre-science pack 3.}}

{{history|0.5.0|
* Unplugged icon shown when not connected to any power transfer device.}}

{{history|0.3.0|
* New solar panel graphics.}}

{{history|0.2.1|
* Priority of power consumption changed to consume from solar panel first.}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Electric system]]
* [[Accumulator]]
* [[Power_production#Optimal_ratio|Calculating the optimal ratio of accumulators to solar panels]]
* A [https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=9314 Solar Power Excel sheet]
* [https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=8949 (Forum topic) The way I solar]
* [[Game-day]]

{{ProductionNav}}
{{C|Energy}}

Solar panel

2025-12-29T23:39:49Z

Nelson: /* Optimal ratios */

{{languages}}
{{:Infobox:Solar panel}}

'''Solar panels''' are an unlimited source of free [[Electric system|energy]] that produce no [[pollution]]. On a planet, the power output varies based on the [[Time#Days|time of day]]. During the day (half of a day/night cycle), all panels provide a constant, maximum power level. Generated power will increase/decrease linearly during dawn and dusk, and no power is produced at night.

The baseline power generated by a panel is 60 kW; this represents 100% power production.

On [[Nauvis]], one solar panel produces an average of 42 kW over a day/night cycle.

In [[Space Age]]{{SA}}, different planets provide a bonus or penalty to panel output. These modifiers are based on 60 kW as the baseline 100% power of a panel. Planets also have their own day/night cycle lengths, so the average power produced by panels over a day/night cycle can change.

[[Space platform]]s{{SA}} do not have day/night cycles; panels produce a constant amount of power while at a location in space. If a platform is moving between locations, the power output will raise or lower based on how far it is between the source location and destination. If the source location offers 200% solar power, and the destination has 300%, then a platform halfway between will have its solar panels offer 250% power.

[[Quality]]{{SA}} panels also provide higher than 100% power output.

== Energy management ==
As already stated, solar panels produce energy only during the day, but you likely want your factory to run at night as well. [[Accumulator]]s can be charged up with solar panels during the day to power the base at night.

Accumulators are not the only way to work with solar energy. Sometimes it is more economical to just avoid consuming energy at night. For example, if you power a bunch of [[electric mining drill]]s and [[electric furnace]]s to produce [[Iron plate|iron]] and [[copper plate]]s, you could build more drills and furnaces than you actually need, and store the excess metal production during the day. At night you can shut down the drills and furnaces, and let your factory run with the stored plates. Instead of storing energy, you would be storing what the energy is used for. The easiest way to achieve this is by connecting all your extractors and furnaces to an electric network with exactly enough solar panels to make them work during the day, and keeping this network away from your factory's main electric network.

== Notes ==
* A single (normal quality) solar panel outputs an average of 42 kW over a day on [[Nauvis]] and requires 0.84672 ≈ 0.85 accumulators to sustain a constant power output through the night.
* It takes approximately 23.8 solar panels to operate 1 MW of factory '''and''' charge 20.2 accumulators to sustain that 1 MW through the night.
** The common rule-of-thumb is 25 solar panels to 21 accumulators to generate about 1 MW (really 1.04 MW + 5/3 kW). A simpler close ratio is 6 solar panels to 5 accumulators, ≈ 0.83 accumulators / solar panels.
* The optimal ratio for normal quality solar panels to charge enough normal quality accumulators on Nauvis is 2646 accumulators for 3125 solar panels (supplying 42 kW per solar panel).
[[File:Solar efficiency.png|thumb|none|400px|Solar efficiency graph over time. (click to enlarge)]]

== Space Age ==
{{About/Space age}}
In 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.

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Location !! In atmosphere !! In space
|-
| [[Vulcanus]] || 400% || 600%
|-
| [[Nauvis]] || 100% || 300%
|-
| [[Gleba]] || 50% || 200%
|-
| [[Fulgora]] || 20% || 120%
|-
| [[Aquilo]] || 1% || 60%
|-
| [[Solar system edge]] || N/A || 1%
|-
| [[Shattered planet]] || N/A || 1%
|}

== Optimal ratios ==
The optimal ratio of solar panels to accumulators varies depending on the [[Quality|qualities]]{{SA}} of both the solar panels and accumulators, as well as the planets they're constructed on.

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Location !! Accumulators per solar panel !! Approximate Ratios (Panels:Accums)
|-
| [[Nauvis]] || {{Quality|0.8467200|1.1007360|1.3547520|1.6087680|2.1168000}} || {{Quality|25:21|25:28|25:34|25:40|25:53}}
|-
| [[Vulcanus]]{{SA}} || {{Quality|0.7257600|0.9434880|1.1612160|1.3789440|1.8144000}} || {{Quality|25:18|25:24|25:29|25:34|25:45}}
|-
| [[Gleba]]{{SA}} || {{Quality|0.6048000|0.7862400|0.9676800|1.1491200|1.5120000}} || {{Quality|5:3|5:4|1:1|5:6|5:8}}
|-
| [[Fulgora]]{{SA}} || {{Quality|0.0725760|0.0943488|0.1161216|0.1378944|0.1814400}} || {{Quality|14:1|11:1|9:1|7:1|11:2}}
|-
| [[Aquilo]]{{SA}} || {{Quality|0.0241920|0.0314496|0.0387072|0.0459648|0.0604800}} || {{Quality|41:1|32:1|26:1|22:1|17:1}}
|}

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Location !! Accumulators per solar panel
|-
| [[Nauvis]] || {{Quality|0.8467200|1.1007360|1.3547520|1.6087680|2.1168000}}
|-
| [[Vulcanus]]{{SA}} || {{Quality|0.7257600|0.9434880|1.1612160|1.3789440|1.8144000}}
|-
| [[Gleba]]{{SA}} || {{Quality|0.6048000|0.7862400|0.9676800|1.1491200|1.5120000}}
|-
| [[Fulgora]]{{SA}} || {{Quality|0.0725760|0.0943880|0.1161216|0.1378944|0.1814400}}
|-
| [[Aquilo]]{{SA}} || {{Quality|0.0241920|0.0314496|0.0387072|0.0459648|0.0604800}}
|}

Note that the quality shown in the table is the quality of the '''solar panels''' only, and assumes normal accumulator quality. When using accumulators of other qualities, divide the ratio shown by 2/3/4/6 for uncommon/rare/epic/legendary, respectively. All ratios are exact numbers with no rounding.

== Achievements ==
{{Achievement|solar-power}}
{{Achievement|solaris}}
{{Achievement|steam-all-the-way}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths="300px" heights="200px">
Solar array01.png|A typical solar power array with accumulators.
Solar farm titlescreen.png|Construction robots are building a solar farm, seen on the expansion's title screen.
Solar outpost titlescreen.png|An outpost powered by solar arrays, seen on the expansion's title screen.
</gallery>

== History ==
{{history|0.13.2|
* Changed tech requirement from Adv. Electronics to Electronics.}}

{{history|0.12.11|
* Energy of the solar panel is now fractioned between all the networks it's connected to.}}

{{history|0.12.0|
* Massive optimisations to solar panel logic.}}

{{history|0.11.0|
* Significantly slowed crafting speed to 10 secs from 0.5 sec.}}

{{history|0.7.1|
* Made solar panels pre-science pack 3.}}

{{history|0.5.0|
* Unplugged icon shown when not connected to any power transfer device.}}

{{history|0.3.0|
* New solar panel graphics.}}

{{history|0.2.1|
* Priority of power consumption changed to consume from solar panel first.}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Electric system]]
* [[Accumulator]]
* [[Power_production#Optimal_ratio|Calculating the optimal ratio of accumulators to solar panels]]
* A [https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=9314 Solar Power Excel sheet]
* [https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=8949 (Forum topic) The way I solar]
* [[Game-day]]

{{ProductionNav}}
{{C|Energy}}

Debug mode

2023-10-26T17:17:06Z

Nelson: add info on show-lua-object-statistics. source: https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?t=94575

{{Languages}}
[[File:debug_during_play.png|thumb|250px|right|Debug mode, with some of its features enabled.]]The ''debug mode'' is used mainly by developers and modders to analyze the running state of the game. It can be enabled to show detailed information about the game world. The default key to enable debug mode is {{keybinding|F5}}.

For example, one can:
* See the path the [[Enemies#Biters|biters]] are coming from and where they plan to target,
* See the position / coordinates of the cursor,
* See a grid-overlay for the [[map structure|tile]]s and [[Map_structure#Chunk|chunks]],
* See additional non-game related information, such as Updates Per Second and FPS.

'''Note:''' In addition to this internal debugging tool there are also third-party debugging tools contributed by the community available on the [https://forums.factorio.com/viewforum.php?f=135 Factorio sub-forum for mod development tools].

== Activate the debug mode ==

There are 2 debug-levels:

* '''Always''' - This is the default mode, if no mode is active. Keep very few things active here.
* '''Debug''' - Toggled by pressing {{keybinding|F5}}. Allows to toggle the debug overlays.

== Configuring the debug mode ==

To configure the 2 modes, press {{keybinding|F4}}. This opens up a menu with many options. You can move this menu with the mouse, if it hides some interesting underlying thing. You can switch between 2 folders, which reflects the option for that debug-mode ("always", "debug"). The options are the same for each mode. Each mode can be configured to the user's liking, the different modes are only for convenience. A search function ({{Keybinding|ctrl|F}}) is available.

== List of debug-options and their function ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Option !! Description
|-
| show-fps || Will show the current frames-per-second and updates per second, short <abbr title="Frames Per Second">FPS</abbr> and <abbr title="Updates Per Second">UPS</abbr>. Should be normally about 60.
|-
| show-clock || Shows a real time clock.
|-
| show-detailed-info ||
* Shows the cursor position in [[Map_structure#Tile|tiles]] (and subdivisions of that).
* Current resolution and zoom.
* How many objects are on the screen (painted by the graphic card).
* How many entities, chunks and paths are in the game and used.
|-
| show-time-usage ||
* Internal statistics about how long some calculations take, in milliseconds per [[Time#Ticks|tick]].
* Time is shown as average/min/max of the last 100 ticks, interval can be changed with /perf-avg-frames.
* Minimum values exclude zeroes (e.g. from ticks where no mod hooks were run).
* Overall calculation delays (some are parallel) must be under 16.6 ms to maintain normal framerate at 1x speed with 60 ticks per second.
* The Top section of metrics cover the wider game engines activities. The middle Update section relates to running the simulation for a tick. The bottom Map Generator section relates to the map generation activity.
|-
| show-entity-time-usage ||
|-
| show-gpu-time-usage ||
|-
| show-sprite-counts || The counts of each sprite rendered on screen.
|-
| show-lua-object-statistics || Object creation related to GC. Update time (avg/min/max), created objects (avg/min/max [total]), destroyed objects (avg/min/max [total]).
|-
| show-heat-buffer-info ||
|-
| show-multiplayer-waiting-icon || When in a multiplayer game: if the game is currently waiting for the server to process.
|-
| show-multiplayer-statistics || The latency information when in multiplayer.
|-
| show-multiplayer-selection-rectangles || Allows to view selection rectangles of other players in multiplayer.
|-
| show-debug-info-in-tooltips || Shows additional information in the tooltips of entities, items, recipes, tiles etc.
|-
| show-resistances-in-tooltips-always || Show entity resitances in all entity tooltips instead of just tooltips of enemy entities and entities with [[Prototype/EntityWithHealth#hide_resistances|hide_resistances]] set to false.
|-
| hide-mod-guis || Hides GUIs added by mods.
|-
| show-tile-grid || Shows the borders of the [[Map_structure#Tile|tiles]] and [[Map_structure#Chunk|chunks]].
|-
| show-blueprint-grid ||
|-
| show-collision-rectangles || Shows the collision boxes of each entity (red).
|-
| show-selection-rectangles || Shows the a blue box over each entity, if you hover over it, it will be selected.
|-
| show-render-rectangles || Shows the a pink box over each entity, if that is on your screen, the entity will be rendered.
|-
| show-sticker-boxes ||
|-
| show-entity-positions ||
|-
| show-entity-velocities ||
|-
| show-selected-entity-advanced-tiles || Shows on which advanced tiles (2×2 tiles) the entity is registered.
|-
| show-selected-input-transport-belts || Shows which entities input into the selected transport line.
|-
| show-paths || The calculated paths for the biters in different colors.
|-
| show-path-requests ||
|-
| show-next-waypoint-bb || Shows waypoints for biters (in green), nearly the same info as the next.
|-
| show-target || Shows the current target of the biters (red).
|-
| show-unit-group-info || Biter groups, which belong together (circles and lines belonging together)
|-
| show-unit-behavior-info ||
|-
| show-pathfinder-fringe ||
|-
| show-path-cache || The source-positions of a path and about the length (?)
|-
| show-path-cache-paths ||
|-
| show-rail-paths || Which path a train will follow.
|-
| show-rolling-stock-count || Shows inserter positions
|-
| show-rail-connections || Shows rail connections.
|-
| show-rail-joints ||
|-
| show-rail-segment-collision-boxes ||
|-
| show-train-stop-point || When a train slows down it shows the calculated point where it should halt
|-
| show-train-braking-distance || The distance a train will take to stop at its current speed
|-
| show-train-signals ||
|-
| show-train-repathing || Display a flying "repathed" text over a train whenever it repaths.
|-
| show-network-connected-entities || Displays the network-id of the electric network that a pole is connected to
|-
| show-circuit-network-numbers || Shows the number (and color) of circuit networks
|-
| show-energy-sources-networks || Which network-id an entity is connected to.
|-
| show-active-state || Inserters, fish, turrets are turned to passive, if not used; Red = inactive, Purple = inactive when enemies aren't around (turrets etc), Green = inactive when player isn't around (fish). Passive entities consume less CPU power.
|-
| show-wakeup-lists || When an entity is sleeping in another entity it shows which entities it's sleeping in.
|-
| show-transport-lines ||
|-
| show-transport-line-gaps ||
|-
| show-pollution-values || Shows the numeric pollution amount on each chunk.
|-
| show-active-entities-on-chunk-counts ||
Shows counts of active entities per chunk. They are divided into two categories:
* Blue = active when a player is around (e.g. fish)
* Green = active when enemies are around (e.g. turrets)
|-
| show-active-chunks || Shows in the map view, which chunks are "on", unmarked chunks are not calculated.
|-
| show-polluted-chunks || Shows which chunks have pollution.
|-
| hide-chart-tags || Hides map tags.
|-
| show-enemy-expansion-candidate-chunks || Where is space left to spread the brood?. Goes from red (nearly no space) to green (space to expand).
|-
| show-enemy-expansion-candidate-chunk-values || Which chunks the enemies will try to expand into.
|-
| show-bad-attack-chunks ||
|-
| show-tile-variations || Shows, which tile-variation (1, 2 or 4 tile sized) is painted for which area of the map. Quite confusing, zoom in to see the meaning.
|-
| show-raw-tile-transitions || Turns connected textures for land and water off, so the distinction can easily be made.
|-
| show-fluid-box-fluid-info || How much fluid is in a pipe/storage tank, shows flow of liquid in pipes.
|-
| show-environment-sound-info || Displays which sound of which entity is played and how loud.
|-
| show-environment-sound-area ||
|-
| show-selected-entity-audible-range ||
|-
| show-recently-played-sound-info ||
|-
| show-logistic-robot-targets ||
|-
| show-spidertron-movement ||
|-
| show-player-robots ||
|-
| show-fire-info ||
|-
| show-sticker-info ||
|-
| show-decorative-names ||
|-
| show-decorative-collision-rectangles ||
|-
| allow-increased-zoom ||
|-
| show-chunk-components ||
|-
| show-train-no-path-details || Chat shows extra info on pathfinder for no-pathing trains. [https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?p=567834#p567834]
|}

{{C|Technical}}