Power facilities are integral for electricity generation within the game. Upon starting, you begin with a single steam engine. Initially, only the steam engine, watermill, and windmill are available. However, researching technologies will unlock additional power facilities.

Power facilities within Energetica are classified into five categories, each offering different characteristics and functionalities.

Fossil Fuel Family

• Steam Engine
• Coal Burner  (Coal)
• Gas Burner  (Gas)
• Combined Cycle  (Gas + Coal)
• Nuclear Reactor  (Uranium)
• Gen4 Nuclear  (Uranium)

These facilities are controllable, emit CO₂, and require fuel for operation (except for the steam engine).

Wind Family

• Windmill
• Onshore Wind Turbine
• Offshore Wind Turbine

These facilities are non-controllable, do not emit pollutants during operation, and their power output varies based on wind conditions.

Hydro Family

• Watermill
• Small Water Dam
• Large Water Dam

Similar to wind facilities, these are non-controllable, emission-free during operation, and their output varies during the year based on river discharge rates.

Solar Family

• Concentrated Solar Power
• Photovoltaics

These facilities are also non-controllable, emission-free during operation, and their output varies based on solar irradiance levels.

Power Generation of Renewable Facilities

Renewable power generation is non-controllable, meaning their power output is determined by specific calculations, regardless of the demand. Any surplus generation needs to be either stored or dumped.

Solar Power Generation

The power generation of solar facilities is influenced by the irradiance level at the facilities location. The irradiance is variable in time and space so different instance of a facility might generate different amounts of electricity. The irradiance at the center of the player's tile is visible on the Dashboard. For more information about the weather simulation, see Solar Irradiance.

The formula for total power generation of solar facilties:

• \(P_s(t) = \sum_{n} \frac{ irr_{n}(t) }{1000W/m²} \times P_{max,n} \)
  where \(irr_{n}\) is the current irradiance at the loaction of facility \(n\) in W/m², \(1000 W/m²\) is the maximal irradiance and \(P_{max,n}\) is the max power generation of the facility \(n\).

Wind Power Generation

The power production of wind facilities is influenced by the current wind speed at the facility's location. The wind speed is variable in time and space so different instances of a facility might generate different amounts of electricity. The wind speed at the center of the player's tile is visible on the Dashboard. For more information about the weather simulation, see Wind Speed.

In addition to this, each wind speed instance has an attributed wind speed multiplier that represents the exposure of the location to wind. The more wind facilities a player builds, the less efficient they will be. See Wind Potential for more details.

The power production of a wind facility is calculated using a characteristic function:

The formula for the power generation at time t of all wind facilities is:

• \(P_w(t) = \sum_{n} cf(ws_{n}(t)) \times P_{max,n} \)
  where \(cf()\) is the characteristic function shown in the graph above, \(ws_{n}\) the current wind speed for the specific instance \(n\) (see Wind Potential) and \(P_{max,n}\) is the max power generation of the facility.

Hydropower Generation

Hydropower generation fluctuates with the change in river discharge rates, following seasonal patterns within the game's timeline.

Formula for total power generation of hydropower facilty type i:

• \(P_h(t) = \sum_{n} sv(t) \times P_{max,n} \)
  where \(sv\) is the seasonal variation shown in the graph, \(t\) is the in-game date ( 1 in-game year = 9 real-time days) and \(P_{max,n}\) is the max power generation of the facility instance n.

Note that the building and operational costs of hydro facilities increase with each new instance, reflecting the difficulty of constructing in increasingly hard-to-access locations. See Hydro Potential for more information.

Power Generation of Controllable Facilities

Controllable facility power generation must adhere to the ramping constraints of each facility from one game tick to the next. The ramping speed, expressed in W/min, applies both to ramping up and down.

For instance, a controllable facility with a ramping speed of 10 kW/min, generating 100 kW, can vary its output between 90 and 110 kW in the following minute (in-game time). Unused minimal power may need to be dumped to satisfy the ramping down constraint.

The order of priority in which the controllable facilities are used can be adjusted by the player. See Power management for details.

Use of Resources

Except for the steam engine, controllable power facilities consume resources (fuel) for operation.

The fuel usage is measured in kg/MWh, indicating that fuel consumption is proportionate to the electricity generated. In cases where a facility lacks sufficient fuel to produce a specific amount of electricity, it will cap its maximal production according to the available fuel stocks.

Thermodynamics influences facility efficiency, decreasing fuel consumption per unit of energy.

CO₂ Emissions

CO₂ emissions are calculated based on the fuel usage of a facility and are expressed in kg/MWh. Similar to fuel consumption, CO₂ production correlates with the amount of power generated. CO₂ emissions affect the shared atmosphere among all players, influencing the game's climate. Refer to Climate Change for more details.

Operation and Maintenance Cost

Each power facility in the game incurs operational and maintenance costs. For renewable facilities, these costs are fixed, while for controllable facilities, there is both a fixed and a variable component. The fixed costs represent 20% of the total O&M costs, while the variable costs, dependent on the power output of the facility, constitute the remaining 80%. Nuclear facilities, such as the Nuclear Reactor and Gen4 Nuclear, differ in that they have a fixed cost fraction of 50%. The O&M costs provided for each facility in the power facilities page are based on 100% power output.

Construction of a Facility

If you choose to build a new facility, it will require various resources:

• Price: The cost to initiate construction
• Duration: The time required for completion
• Power consumption: Power required during construction
• Emissions: CO₂ emitted during construction, distributed over the construction period

Construction projects are undertaken by construction workers. Each worker can focus on a single construction at a time. Construction projects can be paused, cancelled, and reordered. If a construction is immediately cancelled, 80% of the facility's price will be refunded, with a proportionaly decreasing refund as construction progresses. Upon completing a construction, a worker will automatically move on to the next project in the list, if possible.

If the energy demand for constructions isn't met, it is paused, except for the initial phase, during which a ramping up period is allowed. During this period, it's acceptable for the satisfaction level to be lower as long as the power consumption increases by at least 5% per minute.

Researching building technology will unlock additional construction workers and increase the speed of construction projects.

When a facility is buit, a random location inside the player's tile is assigned to it. This is especially important for wind and solar facilities, as their output is influenced by the weather conditions at their location.

Lifespan of a Facility

Each facility has an operational lifespan. At the end of its lifespan, a facility is automatically decommisionned at a cost equivalent to 20% of its original price.

It is also possible to dismantle a facility before the end of its lifespan. This can be done in the Profile page and happens instantly. The dismantling process has the same cost as decomissioning.

Upgrades

When a new technology research is completed that affects the characteristics of certain facilities, the effect do not automatically apply to instances of the facilities that are under construction or already built. Players must individually upgrade these facilities through the Profile page. The upgrade cost is determined as the maximum value between 5% of the initial facility cost and the price difference associated with the new upgrade. This upgrade process is instantaneous.