Power Grid & Generators Guide: Touching Rule, Wires & Batteries
Master electricity in Beyond These Stars: how the pre-wire touching conduction rule works, Burner vs Fuel vs Solar Generators, Power Lines, and Battery backups.
How Does Electricity Conduction Work in Beyond These Stars?
Electricity in Beyond These Stars does not work like traditional city-builders where every building sits inside a circular substation aura. Instead, power is transmitted through two physical pathways:
- Direct Wall-to-Wall Conduction (The Touching Rule): Any building that produces or consumes electricity automatically conducts power across all 6 of its hexagonal edges to any touching powered building.
- Power Line Networks: Once you smelt Copper and unlock Power Lines (1 Copper + 1 Wood), poles bridge gaps across roads, rivers, and forest buffers so you can isolate dirty generators from clean housing.
Generator & Power Infrastructure Comparison Table
Choosing the right generator mix keeps your industrial throughput high without suffocating Kewa’s canopy in soot:
| Power Building | Role | Fuel / Input | Output / Capacity | Pollution Tier | Special Adjacency / Biome Rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burner Generator | Early Generator | Wood or Coal | 20 MW | Medium | -25% Pollution if ≥4 adjacent hexes are empty |
| Wind Turbine | Clean Renewables | Wind (Passive) | 15 MW | None | Higher output on elevated ridge/plateau hexes |
| Solar Panel | Clean Renewables | Starlight (Passive) | 25 MW | None | Drops during nebula/eclipse travel; pair with Batteries |
| Fuel Generator | Heavy Baseload | Refined Fuel | 60 MW | High | Requires Cleaner + 4-tile Forest buffer nearby |
| Thermal Spire Tap | Geothermal Core | Natural Thermal Vent | 80 MW | Low | Must be placed adjacent to a Thermal Spire hex |
| Battery | Grid Storage | Surplus MW | 200 MWh | None | Conducts power across touching hexes; prevents brownouts |
| Power Line | Transmission | None (1 Copper, 1 Wood) | Unlimited | None | Bridges up to 4 hexes between poles or buildings |
How to Build the Optimal Early Conduction Cluster
In your first 45 minutes on Kewa’s back, you want to power three essential structures—Ore Smelter, Toolsmith, and a second Smelter or Sawmill—while preserving the Burner Generator’s -25% pollution bonus.
The “Linear Tail” Touching Blueprint
Because the Burner Generator only checks its 6 immediately adjacent hexes for the 4-empty-tile rule, you can attach a long chain of powered buildings off a single edge of the generator:
- Hex A (Burner Generator): Leave 4 surrounding hexes completely empty (grass/dirt) and use 1 hex for the dirt road.
- Hex B (Ore Smelter — Iron): Place touching the 6th edge of the Burner Generator.
- Hex C (Ore Smelter — Copper): Place touching Hex B (not touching Hex A!).
- Hex D (Toolsmith): Place touching Hex C.
Every building in the A → B → C → D chain conducts electricity seamlessly, yet the Burner Generator still sees 4 empty adjacent hexes and emits 25% less pollution! Check our Building Adjacency Bonus Layouts for more geometric tricks.
High-Wattage Industrial Consumers & Grid Balancing
Once you unlock mid-game refining—such as the Metal Smelter, Cement Factory, Battery Plant, and Electronics Plant—your power demand will spike threefold.
| Consumer Building | Power Draw | Workers | Primary Output | Pollution Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ore Smelter | 5 MW | 2 Peeps | Copper, Iron (+ Soot/Slag) | Medium |
| Toolsmith | 4 MW | 2 Peeps | Tools (+ Slag) | Low |
| Sawmill | 4 MW | 2 Peeps | Planks (+ Wood Waste) | Low |
| Cleaner | 6 MW | 1 Peep | Removes surrounding Pollution | None |
| Metal Smelter | 12 MW | 3 Peeps | Steel (+ Soot/Slag) | High |
| Cement Factory | 15 MW | 3 Peeps | Cement | Very High |
| Battery Plant | 15 MW | 3 Peeps | Industrial Batteries | Very High |
| Electronics Plant | 18 MW | 4 Peeps | Electronics | High |
Thermal Spires, Cooling Fans & Late-Game Battery Banks
As you explore farther across Kewa’s carapace and establish Planetary Outposts, you will encounter natural Thermal Spires—towering, glowing geothermal vents.
How to Harness Thermal Spires Safely
- Geothermal Harvesting: Tapping a Thermal Spire provides massive baseload power without burning Wood, Coal, or Fuel.
- Temperature Management: Thermal Spires radiate intense heat that can overheat Kewa and dry out nearby soil. Place Cooling Fans adjacent to spire clusters (using the Touching Rule) to dissipate excess heat and keep Kewa’s Vitals balanced.
- Battery Buffering: Connect at least 2 Batteries to every Solar Panel array so your Production Chains never stall when Kewa swims through dark nebulae.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I power my Ore Smelter before unlocking Power Lines?
What resources are needed to build Power Lines?
How do I get the -25% pollution bonus on a Burner Generator?
When should I switch from Burner Generators to Solar, Wind, or Fuel Generators?
Why does my power grid brown out when Kewa enters certain space sectors?
Gameplay Footage & Walkthroughs
Related Sector Guides
buildings
Building Adjacency Bonus Layouts: Optimal Hex Grids & Buffs
Complete Beyond These Stars building adjacency bonus guide: exact hex placement rules for +30% Water Pump & Woodcutter storage, +20% Hut happiness, and more.
buildings
All Buildings List: Costs, Workers, Power & Tech Tiers
Complete database of 55+ buildings in Beyond These Stars v1.0: construction costs, worker slots, power consumption, pollution tiers, and research unlocks.
guides
Beyond These Stars Beginner's Guide: Settlement, Kewa & Survival
Complete Beyond These Stars beginner's guide covering the 16-tile Peep housing radius, Home Spaceship transition, glacier river terraforming, and Kewa care.
Did this telemetry guide help your settlement?
Transmission received — thank you!