Electricity
Electricity is a system and resource in Space Engineers that is used to power most devices. It is created using a large or small Reactor, or by using a Solar Panel. Any device that has a direct block connection to a reactor will be powered by a reactor; that is, if a reactor is on a ship, all devices attached to that ship should receive power granted there is enough power to receive. At this point in game development, Rotor blocks do not conduct electricity through themselves to other blocks, although they do consume it in order to function.
Reactors are powered by uranium ingots. 1L uranium ingots produces 68.76 MWs or 0.0191 MWh of energy.
The maximum amount a reactor can power:
| Reactor | Small Ship | Large Ship |
|---|---|---|
| Small Reactor | 0.1 MW | 5 MW |
| Large Reactor | 3.5 MW | 100 MW |
| Solar Panel | 1.5* kW | 6* kW |
( *Solar Panels have a maximum output depending on their angle to the sun and the amount of actually lit surface. Given values are the max achievable output with perfect conditions.)
Thrusts being used by the ship's inertia dampening will use 1.5x the maximum power.
Thrust power usage:
| Ship | Thrust | Minimum Power | Maximum Power | Automatic Stabilizing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small | Small | 0.0002 MW | 0.0336 MW | 0.0504 MW |
| Small | Large | 0.0002 MW | 0.4 MW | 0.6 MW |
| Large | Small | 0.0002 MW | 0.56 MW | 0.84 MW |
| Large | Large | 0.0002 MW | 6.72 MW | 10.08 MW |
Refinery and assembler power usage (Individual Usage):
| Mode | Power Usage |
|---|---|
| Standby | 0.001 MW |
| Operational | 0.560 MW |
Other component power usages:
| Component | Small Ship | Large Ship |
|---|---|---|
| Gravity Generator | N/A | **14 W - 0.56713 MW |
| Artificial Mass | 0.025 MW | 0.6 MW |
| Interior Light | N/A | 0.0004 MW |
| Medical Room | N/A | ? MW |
| Door | N/A | ? MW |
| Gyroscope | 0.00003 MW | 0.0015 MW |
| Reflector Light | 0.012 MW | 0.0112 MW |
| Beacon | 0.1 MW | 0.1008 MW |
| Antenna | ? MW | 0.1008 MW |
| Ore Detector | ? MW | ? MW |
| Conveyor | ? MW | ? MW |
| Drill | .01 MW | N/A |
| Gatling/Missile Turret | N/A | 0.1008 MW |
| Interior Turret | N/A | 0.1008 MW |
(Ver: 01.013.008)
Notes:
Anything labeled "? MW" did not have power usage listed in the CubeBlocks.sbc file.
Noticed that lights, beacons, and antenna have power usage costs. However, have not thoroughly tested them.
Doors and reflector lights are off by default. All reflector lights are simultaneously turned on or off when using the toggle lights key.
Not sure if the drill requires power while in standby.
(Ver: 01.035)
Notes:
'**With the addition of gravity field properties, power cost of Gravity Generator is directly proportional to the field size and strength magnitude
- novice test, drill uses 2.5% of 4 MW with a small reactor, whenever equipped, regardless of if it is active or not. Hence the value of .01 MW.
