Energy functions around using 5 energy components.
The Energy Regulator (or “Regulator”) is required, in order to utilize energy. It allows for the transmission of energy among energy components connected to it. The total available energy is shown above it at all times.
A Generator produces energy to be used, and must transmit it to a Regulator. There exist multiple types of Generators, each consuming various materials and items in order to produce energy.
A Capacitor can store generated energy that is not being consumed by an actively operating Machine. It can also physically extend the reach of transmitted energy.
Similarly, an Energy Connector (or “Connector”) can only physically extend the reach of transmitted energy, but not store any.
Electric Machines consume energy in order to operate.
¶ Energy Circuits
Glass = Blocks where energy will travel.
Energy circuits allow energy to travel. An energy circuit is created when Generators (but at least one) are attached to exactly one Regulator.
Energy can be transferred up to 7 blocks away along the directions - forward, backward, leftward, rightward, upward, or downward, (see picture) through any block.
By default, an energy circuit can only store as much energy as its connected Generators can produce.
¶ Energy Network
An energy network consists of an energy circuit connected to Capacitors, Connectors and Machines.
¶ Energy Regulator
A Regulator is the prime component of an energy network. It acts as the connective component of the entire energy network.
All components need to be linked back to the single Regulator, regardless of length of the network, in order to operate under that energy network.
The total amount of energy in the network at any given time is displayed above the Regulator as a hologram.
¶ Energy Connector
Connectors provide a cheap method of extending the reach of an energy network, without the use of Capacitors.
A Connector is able to extend the distance at which energy can be transported in same way that a Regulator or Capacitor does (see picture at the top of the page).
¶ Generators
Generators are special machines that consume certain items as fuel to produce energy. Right-clicking a Generator opens its fuel slots menu.
If the Generator is connected to a Regulator and the correct fuel is inserted to its fuel slots, the Regulator will begin collecting and transferring the energy into the energy network, ready to be used in Machines or stored in Capacitors. Generators will produce energy from provided fuel at a constant rate per second (differing in each Generator); however, fuels last for a specific amount of time in total - their exact values are listed in the Slimefun guide (hover mouse over fuels under each Generator's recipe).
Excess, unused and unstored generated energy is automatically removed from an energy circuit/network. A Generator's energy buffer is the maximum amount of energy it can produce when the generated energy is unstored. When the energy buffer is exceeded, an energy amount equal to the energy buffer is lost from the network.
¶ Coal Generator
An entry-level Generator. It consumes Coal, Blocks of Coal, Charcoal, Blocks of Charcoal, Compressed Blocks of Charcoal, Wood, Logs, and Blaze Rods.
| Energy buffer | 64 J |
| Energy generation | 16 J/s |
Coal Generators are highly recommended for when starting out on energy production.
¶ Lava Generator
An entry-level Generator. It consumes Lava from a Bucket of Lava.
Green (right) - Output slots (empty Bucket)
| Energy buffer | 512 J |
| Energy generation | 20 J/s |
Lava Generators are especially practical when there is easy access to a sizeable amount of lava, and most efficient when paired with the Fluid Pump. Recommended for early-game energy networks.
¶ Bio Reactor
A Generator that burns biological material to produce power (seeds, leaves, plants, food, etc.).
| Energy buffer | 128 J |
| Energy generation | 16 J/s |
The Bio Reactor has low fuel efficiency, however, many of its fuels are renewable and farmable.
¶ Combustion Reactor
The Combustion Reactors produces energy from Buckets of Oil and Buckets of Fuel.
Green (right) - Output slots (empty Bucket)
| Energy buffer | 1024 J |
| Energy generation | 60 J/s |
The Combustion Generator is tricky in that Oil and Fuel is non-renewable and their production cannot be automated. It still performs decently, as a mid-tier Generator.
¶ Solar Generators
Solar generators are disabled on Nations.
The most player-independent source of energy. A Solar Generator needs to directly face skylight (light level 15) in order to generate energy. There are 4 tiers of Solar Panels; the 3 lower-tier ones produce energy only during daytime, while the Energized Solar Panel can also generate energy during nighttime. Higher tier means more energy produced.
| Energy buffer | 0 J | |||
| Tier | 1 (Basic) | 2 (Advanced) | 3 (Carbonado) | 4 (Energized) |
| Energy generation | 4 J/s | 16 J/s | 64 J/s | 128 J/s (Daytime) 256 J/s (Nighttime) |
Solar Generators provide great reliabililty and are the simplest generator to use, but they require a lot of resources in order to be crafted.
¶ Nuclear Reactor
Nuclear reactors are disabled on Nations.
A very efficient, premium Generator. It needs to be submersed in water, and requires an uninterrupted supply of Reactor Coolant Cells (produced in the Freezer) to prevent it from exploding when operating. It consumes the following radioactive materials as fuel: Uranium, Boosted Uranium, and Neptunium. Uranium and Neptunium also produce radioactive byproducts, which must be removed from the Nuclear Reactor's output slot.
- Uranium → Neptunium
- Neptunium → Plutonium
Purple (right) - Reactor Coolant Cell slot
Black (middle) - Output slot
| Energy buffer | 16384 J |
| Energy generation | 500 J/s |
| Reactor Coolant Cell duration | 12s |
A Reactor Access Port placed 2 blocks above the Nether Star Reactor is necessary for automation of this generator: fuel and cells will be placed in their respective slots automatically from the Reactor Access Port into the Nuclear Reactor. The Nuclear Reactor cannot interact with Cargo, but the Reactor Access Port can: fuel and cells will be placed in their respective slots automatically from Cargo into the Reactor Access Port.
Purple (right) - Reactor Coolant Cell port (items will go into the Nuclear Reactor's Reactor Coolant Cell slot)
Black (middle) - Output port (items will be taken from the Nuclear Reactor's Output slot)
The Nuclear Reactor is recommended for large-scale factories.
¶ Nether Star Reactor
Nether star reactors are disabled on Nations.
The most powerful Generator. It can generate twice as much energy as a Nuclear Reactor. It needs to be submersed in water, and requires an uninterrupted supply of Nether Ice Coolant Cells to prevent it from exploding when operating. Only Nether Stars are accepted as fuel.
| Energy buffer | 32768 J |
| Energy generation | 500 J/s |
| Nether Ice Coolant Cell duration | 12s |
Purple (right) - Nether Ice Coolant Cell slot
Fuel for the Nether Star Reactor is very difficult to obtain. Its need for Nether Stars and lack of complete automation, combined with the demanding recipe (on top of the need for careful operation) render the Nether Star Reactor inadvisable in most cases. Nevertheless, in end-game scenarios, it is a highly capable and extremely efficient Generator.
¶ Capacitors
Capacitors have two uses:
- Storing energy. Normally, generated energy must be consumed by a Machine or it will eventually be removed from the network. With a capacitor, energy can be saved for later use.
- Extending an energy network. They can be linked to a Regulator, as well as with each other, to extend an energy network's range. They have the same reach as a Regulator.
There are 6 tiers of Capacitors - higher tier means bigger energy capacity.
| Tier # | Tier Name | Energy Capacity (J) |
| 1 | Small | 128 J (2^7) |
| 2 | Medium | 512 J (2^9) |
| 3 | Big | 1024 J (2^10) |
| 4 | Large | 8192 J (2^13) |
| 5 | Carbonado-Edged | 65536 J (2^16) |
| 6 | Energized | 524288 J (2^19) |
When a Capacitor is broken, all of its stored energy will be deleted from the Capacitor as well as the energy network.
¶ Machines
Advanced ("Electric") Machines must consume energy in order to operate. An energy network prioritizes energy towards Machines rather than Capacitors, if the former are in use. These also have a buffer which can hold some energy.
Check out the Electric Machines page, which includes more information on them as well as a list of Electric Machines, each with their respective article.
NOTE: An Electric Machine may operate without any energy present, when an appropriate recipe is added to its input slots, and consume the items you have placed inside while doing so. However, it will not take any energy and it will not finish the process of crafting your recipe. This means that the items you have placed inside the Machine are still inside, but inaccessible; and that the Machine requires (more) energy in order to finish processing and give you the crafted items.