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Automation
May 16, 2026 at 07:26 AM
Embedded gameplay screenshots
Automation in Solarpunk allows players to offload repetitive tasks to machines. Automated devices handle Resource Gathering, farming, and material processing without constant player input. All automated machines require power from the Energy System to operate.
The Automatic Drill extracts resources from the ground without manual mining. In earlier builds, the drill produced stone as a byproduct alongside the target resource. This has been changed: the drill no longer produces stone as a byproduct. Stone is now mined at dedicated stone spots using manual tools or other methods. This change makes the drill's output cleaner and more predictable for production chain planning.
The Automatic Magnet Fisher collects materials from below the floating islands. Its primary output is algae, which is used as an ingredient in advanced crafting recipes. The Magnet Fisher operates continuously when powered, accumulating algae over time that players can collect from its storage.
Farming robots and drones automate the watering of crops. Once set up and powered, they cover designated crop areas, freeing the player from manual watering. This is especially valuable for larger farms where manually watering every plant becomes time-consuming. Drones work the same way inside greenhouses as they do outdoors.
Solarpunk supports a small but flexible set of logic components that let players build conditional automation chains without writing code. These were added in a major mid-2025 update.
Switches provide manual control over automated systems. They connect inline with energy cables and allow players to turn entire networks, or individual sections, on and off. This is useful for conserving battery power; for example, turning off drills at night when solar panel output drops, or disabling a processing line that has a full output buffer. Switches can be toggled at any time.
Rain sensors detect when it is currently raining outside and toggle a connected circuit on or off accordingly. A common use case is shutting off automated watering drones during a rainstorm, since rain already waters outdoor crops, and pausing solar-fed power loads when the weather system reduces solar output.
Day/night sensors detect the current phase of the day/night cycle. Players use them to switch non-essential power loads off at night, when solar generation drops to zero, and back on at sunrise. Combining a day/night sensor with a battery and a wind turbine produces a base that effectively manages its own peak/off-peak power profile without manual switch toggling.
By connecting multiple automated machines together through the energy network, players can create production chains where the output of one machine feeds into the input of another. This allows for more complex manufacturing setups where raw materials are automatically processed through several stages into finished goods.
Effective production chains require careful planning of:
Chain | Details |
|---|---|
Power budget | Every machine in the chain draws power. Ensure sufficient solar panels and batteries are available. |
Layout | Place machines close together to minimize cable runs and keep the base organized. |
Switches | Use switches to disable parts of the chain when they are not needed, saving energy. |
Sensors | Use rain and day/night sensors to gate sections of the chain automatically. |
Storage | Plan for output storage so that finished goods do not back up and stall the chain. |
Start with a single Automatic Drill before scaling up to avoid overloading your power grid
The Magnet Fisher runs constantly; make sure to empty its algae storage regularly
Place farming drones near a reliable power source so they do not shut down during cloudy weather
Wire rain sensors to your outdoor watering drones so they pause during storms
Use day/night sensors to switch non-essential loads off at night, conserving battery for the morning
Plan production chains on paper (or mentally) before building to avoid inefficient layouts
