How to Power Your Base in Kenshi
Add up what your buildings draw, then build generators that make more than that. A Wind Generator II or a Generator II makes 100, a Small Generator 40, and a typical early workshop draws about 58. Research Wind Generator Theory first: it costs 2 Book.
- Biggest generators100Wind Generator II or Generator II
- Cheapest research2 BookWind Generator Theory, 2 h
- Example workshop58draw; 2 Small Generators cover it
- Battery Bank60storage in the game file
Five steps, in the order you hit them: count the draw, pick the generators, research them, fuel them, add batteries. The numbers are the game's own, so they hold for any start.
On this page
The 5 steps at a glance
Work down the list. Steps 1 and 2 are arithmetic; 3 to 5 are research and building.
- Count what your base draws. A small workshop is about 58.
- Pick the generators. Five of them, from +25 to +100.
- Research the one you chose. The wind line is the cheapest.
- Fuel it, if it burns fuel. A Biofuel Distillery makes the fuel.
- Add batteries. They hold a surplus for the dark.
Step 1: Count what your base draws
The game stores a power number on every building. A negative number is what it uses, so your base needs generators that make at least the sum of the minuses. The table is a spread of what you will actually build, from a torch to a late-game mine; every figure is from the building's own record.
| Building | Draw | Needs |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical Torch Post | 1 | 1 Iron Plates |
| Light Post I | 4 | 1 Electrical Components, 3 Iron Plates |
| Well II | 8 | 6 Building Material, 4 Iron Plates |
| Hydroponic Vegetables | 10 | 10 Greenfruit, 4 Iron Plates, 2 Electrical Components |
| Research Bench III | 10 | 20 Iron Plates |
| Iron Refinery | 10 | 10 Iron Plates |
| Weapon Smith II | 12 | 20 Iron Plates |
| Iron Refinery III | 30 | 35 Iron Plates |
| Weapon Smith III | 30 | 35 Iron Plates |
| Hybrid Stone Mine | 35 | not listed |
A worked example: 58
A small workshop of Research Bench III, two Iron Refineries, a Weapon Smith II, two Light Posts and a Well II draws 10 + 2 x 10 + 12 + 2 x 4 + 8 = 58. 2 Small Generators (40 each) cover it, and so do two Wind Generators (50 each).
Step 2: Pick the generators
Two families exist. Wind generators need no fuel but need the wiki's wind research; fuel generators burn fuel and cost less to unlock. The Generator II and the Wind Generator II tie at +100, but both need Ancient Science Books and the earlier theories first. The +50 Wind Generator and the +40 Small Generator need ordinary Books only.
| Generator | Makes | Kind | Parts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Wind Generator | +25 | wind | 4 Electrical Components + 7 Iron Plates |
| Small Generator | +40 | fuel | 4 Iron Plates + 4 Copper |
| Wind Generator | +50 | wind | 8 Iron Plates + 5 Copper |
| Wind Generator II | +100 | wind | 10 Iron Plates + 8 Electrical Components |
| Generator II | +100 | fuel | 6 Iron Plates + 10 Electrical Components |
What is not in the files
The records give each generator's output but not how far its power reaches, how wind strength changes with the spot, or how fast a fuel generator burns. Put one generator down, then read the building's tooltip in game for what it feeds.
Step 3: Research the generator
Each generator has a research that unlocks it. Costs and times are from the wiki's tech tree, and the tech tree page lets you plan the whole chain. Books are common; Ancient Science Books are scarce, so the Wind Generator and the Small Generator are the ones to start with. Where the scarce items come from: Engineering Research and Ancient Science Books.
| Generator | Research | Cost | Time | Tech level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Wind Generator | Light Wind Generator Theory | 4 Book | 3 h | 2 |
| Small Generator | Fuel Generator Theory | 4 Book | 2 h | 1 |
| Wind Generator | Wind Generator Theory | 2 Book | 2 h | 1 |
| Wind Generator II | Advanced Wind Generator Theory | 2 Ancient Science Book | 3 h | 4 |
| Generator II | Heavy Generator Theory | 2 Ancient Science Book | 5 h | 3 |
- Start with Wind Generator Theory (2 Book). It unlocks the +50 Wind Generator.
- Add Electrical Crafting (4 Book) when you need Electrical Components: the Wind Generator II, Generator II, lights and hydroponics all use them.
- Finish with the Ancient Science Book research: Advanced Wind Generator Theory (2 Ancient Science Book) for the Wind Generator II, or Heavy Generator Theory (2 Ancient Science Book) for the Generator II.
Step 4: Fuel it, if it burns fuel
The Small Generator and the Generator II are the fuel kind: the Generator II's research (Heavy Generator Theory) builds on Fuel Generator Theory, and the Biofuel Distillery turns a crop into fuel. There are three distilleries, one per crop. Each is a one-operator building with a speed of x0.9, built from 6 Iron Plates.
| Distillery | Turns this into fuel | Operators | Parts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biofuel Distillery (Wheatstraw) | wheat | 1 | 6 Iron Plates |
| Biofuel Distillery (Hemp) | hemp | 1 | 6 Iron Plates |
| Biofuel Distillery (Greenfruit) | vegetables | 1 | 6 Iron Plates |
- Feed the distillery from a farm: see how to farm food for which crop grows where.
- Fuel burn per hour is not in our files, so start with one generator and watch the fuel stock before you add more.
- A wind generator skips the fuel step entirely; the files do not rate wind by zone, so judge the spot in game.
Step 5: Add batteries
A Battery Bank stores surplus for when generation dips. Its record gives 40 power and 60 storage, built from 2 Iron Plates, 4 Electrical Components; the research is Batteries (4 Book, 5 h). The upgrade lines are long: our tree has four Battery Capacity and four Battery Power steps costing 35 Books in all, and six Advanced steps of each costing 55 Ancient Science Books in all. Treat the Advanced steps as an endgame project.
| Line | Steps | Total cost |
|---|---|---|
| Battery Capacity + Battery Power | 4 + 4 | 35 Book |
| Advanced Battery Capacity + Advanced Battery Power | 6 + 6 | 55 Ancient Science Book |
Do not start here
Make surplus first: a base with a Wind Generator II and no batteries beats a base of batteries and one Small Generator. Add a bank once the generators outrun the draw.
Common mistakes
- Planning power before you need it. Torches, the first benches and the Camp Bed draw 0; spend the Books elsewhere until Research Bench III or a refinery.
- Jumping to the +100 generators. Both the Generator II and the Wind Generator II need Ancient Science Books on top of the earlier theories; build the +50 Wind Generator or the +40 Small Generator first.
- Forgetting Electrical Components. The bigger generators, lights and hydroponics all need them, so research Electrical Crafting before you queue the build.
- Upgrading batteries before generators. A bigger bank cannot fill itself.
FAQ
How does power work in Kenshi?
Every building has a power number in the game files. Generators have a positive one, machines a negative one; build enough generators that the total is above zero.
How much power does a Wind Generator make?
+50 for the Wind Generator, +25 for the Small Wind Generator and +100 for the Wind Generator II.
What is the best generator in Kenshi?
The Wind Generator II and the Generator II, both +100. The wind one needs no fuel.
Do generators need fuel?
The Small Generator and Generator II do: they are the fuel kind. Wind generators do not. A Biofuel Distillery makes fuel from wheat, hemp or greenfruit.
What do I research for power?
Wind Generator Theory (2 Book) or Fuel Generator Theory (4 Book) first, then Batteries (4 Book).
Does a Research Bench need power?
Only from the third one: Research Bench III draws 10; the first two draw 0.
Pages to keep open
Related pages
Sources
- Kenshi game files 1.0.68: building records (via the Kenshi Interactive Map extract)
- Kenshi Wiki, Electrics research (CC BY-SA 4.0), dump of 2026-10-13
- Kenshi Wiki, Generators
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