Best Power Sources In Oxygen Not Included

Highlights

• Players must carefully manage resources like oxygen and water while building a base in Oxygen Not Included.
• Different generators have varying power outputs and resource requirements, making some more efficient and reliable than others.
• Renewable power sources like the steam turbine and solar panel are beneficial in the late game, while generators like the wood burner and coal generator are useful early on.

At first glance, Oxygen Not Included is a simple simulation game with a quirky art style and charming sound design. However, as the cycles go on, players will quickly find themselves juggling the finite resources available, fighting the rising temperatures, and desperately searching for an endless supply of oxygen and water all while building a base. Moreover, past cycle 70 the need for a reliable, self-sustaining power source becomes crucial, as it enables Duplicants to focus efforts on non-automated tasks such as farming, ranching, and building.

On top of the need to set up automated power grids, each generator relies on a specific resource, and certain map seeds may make one type of generator the most optimal. Ultimately, deciding which power source is best relies on careful consideration of the environmental factors available to each colony. Still, while some generators in Oxygen Not Included are situational, certain types are much more efficient and reliable in every instance of the game.

8 Wood Burner

Uses Lumber To Provide Power

• Power Output: +300 W
• Resource Required: 1200g Lumber

The Wood Burner is a special power source that is quite useless outside two asteroids due to its niche resource, Arbor Trees. Found primarily on Verdante and Arboria, Arbor Trees are an extremely rare resource on most other Asteroids, with a very small chance of being provided as a printable. Due to this, on most asteroids, the Wood Burner can be a rather pointless power source as there are much better options powered by more readily available resources.

Still, on Verdante and Arboria, the Wood Burner is a fantastic early-game power source, as players can burn the abundance of lumber available in the environment. While the generator provides less power than a Manual Generator, as a cheap craft, players can set up multiple Wood Burners to provide lots of power while freeing up work time for their Dupes.

7 Manual Generator

Generates Power Through A Large Hamster Wheel

• Power Output: +400 W
• Resource Required: One Duplicant

Similar in appearance and functionality to a hamster wheel, Dupes can generate power through the Manual Generator by running on the wheel. While producing less power than most of the other power sources, the Manual Generator requires no resources to function, making it a fantastic power source in the early game. If somehow everything that could go wrong does go wrong, Manual Generators can also function as a last-resort power source.

Having a Duplicant powering the Manual Generator may slow down other processes, such as building and digging tasks. However, assigning a single Dupe to the Manual Generator can be an effective way to constantly generate power. While hooked up to batteries, some of this power can be stored, so long as the power grid isn’t demanding more than the generator can output.

6 Coal Generator

A Trusty Power Source In The Early Game

• Power Output: +600 W
• Resource Required: 1000g Coal

The Coal Generator is one of the most reliable generators in the early game, especially on asteroids with an abundance of coal near the starting location. Requiring 1000g of Coal to fill up, the Coal Generator provides 600W of power to nearby buildings, outputting carbon dioxide in its immediate vicinity. The generator does produce a small amount of heat. However, this can easily be dealt with by planting one or two Wheezeworts just above it.

While coal is a finite source in Oxygen Not Included, players can generate coal by starting a couple of Hatch ranches. Hatch are critters found roaming the environment, consuming dirt, and producing coal. With a couple of Hatch ranches set up, players can trade dirt for coal and create an endless supply of power.

5 Natural Gas Generator

A Natural Way To Power The Base

• Power Output: +800 W
• Resource Required: 90g Natural Gas

The Natural Gas Generator is one of the few generators that can provide limitless amounts of power if combined with a Natural Gas output such as a Natural Gas Geyser. Outputting 800W of power for 90g of Natural Gas, the resource-to-power ratio is incredibly good, making it a semi-reliable power option in the mid-stages of the game.

The only downside to using a Natural Gas Generator, especially if relying on a Natural Gas Geyser, is that geysers have periods of downtime where they are idle and do not generate resources. In this period of downtime, the Natural Gas Generator will likely run out of resources, and will therefore not provide power. In this situation, using a Natural Gas Generator in combination with another power source, such as a Coal Generator, can be a good way to help stretch finite resources further.

4 Steam Turbine

Converts Steam Into Clean Power

• Power Output: +850 W
• Resource Required: Steam

Steam Turbines are one of two renewable power sources available in Oxygen Not Included, converting steam with a temperature above 125 degrees into pure power. Some steam vents do not meet the temperature requirements, such as Cool Steam Vents, so players either need to find ways to heat the steam themselves or look for alternate methods of creating steam.

Outputting 850W of power for a small amount of hot steam makes the Steam Turbine one of the best late-game power sources in Oxygen Not Included, as it doesn’t use up any finite resources. If placed over a Steam Vent, the player will generate enough power to keep their colony running for a long while. However, like Geysers, Vents have periods of downtime. To make the most out of a Steam Vent, players should look at combining the Steam Turbine with a reliable power source, such as the Hydrogen Generator.

3 Petroleum Generator

Provides The Highest Power Output Of Any Generator

• Power Output: +2000 W
• Resource Required: 2000g Combustible Liquid

The Petroleum Generator produces the most power of any generator. However, its resources can be difficult to find, and even more difficult to harvest. Petroleum, the main resource for the Petroleum Generator, can be harvested from Crude Oil. Crude Oil is often found in extremely hot biomes, meaning players need to be careful when extracting it.

Because of the extremely hot temperatures, buildings used to extract Crude Oil will need to be built from materials capable of resisting high temps, like Gold Amalgam. Still, once successfully harvested, Petroleum Generators provide an amazing amount of power. To save on resources, players can build Smart Batteries that automate the power grid, reducing wasted power.

2 Hydrogen Generator

One Of The Best Long-Term Power Solutions

• Power Output: +800 W
• Resource Required: 100g Hydrogen

Hydrogen Generators are one of the best methods of power in Oxygen Not Included, so long as the player has access to a limitless supply of water. Water Geysers are the best resource to have access to when using a Hydrogen Generator. However, Cool Steam Vents can be a good substitute. While the Hydrogen Generator itself doesn’t require water to function, players can create an effective automated grid that provides both oxygen and power to their colony.

To set up this grid, players will first need to place a Liquid Pump near a water source, funnel the liquid through an Electrolyzer to produce Oxygen and Hydrogen, then pump that Hydrogen into a Hydrogen Generator to create power. Electrolyzers produce over 100g of Hydrogen per second, meaning they can easily supply a Hydrogen Generator so long as there is a constant flow of water.

1 Solar Panel

Uses The Sun’s Rays To Power A Colony

• Power Output: +380 W
• Resource Required: Must Be In Space

Solar Panels are expensive but extremely useful power generators in Oxygen Not Included, relying on sunlight — an infinite resource — to create power. Solar Panels must be placed in space to function, putting them at risk of being damaged by the constant meteor showers. However, each day the panels will generate a good amount of power, especially if multiple Solar Panels are set up on the asteroid’s surface.

This power can be stored in numerous Smart Batteries to ensure power continues to be supplied to buildings throughout the night. Once players have a few Solar Panels set up, the colony can relax and enjoy the clean power provided to the base by the sun. Despite providing only 380W of power, 20 less than the Manual Generator, a Solar Power Farm is the best power source in Oxygen Not Included due to its renewable resource requirements.