Coal Generator

The Coal Generator is a power-producing building that burns coal to generate significantly more electricity than a Manual Generator. It is one of the earliest reliable ways to move a colony beyond hand-powered generation, and it is often used to support rapid early expansion while duplicants focus on building, digging, and research instead of running wheels.

In exchange for that extra output, the Coal Generator produces both heat and carbon dioxide. That means it should not be dropped into the middle of a cramped living area without planning. A sealed generator room, or at least a lower chamber where carbon dioxide can collect safely, keeps exhaust from spreading through the base. Because carbon dioxide is heavier than most gases, placing coal generation low in the base helps the exhaust settle where it can be managed more easily.

The building also contributes a meaningful amount of heat to its surroundings, so it is best kept in a cool area or isolated from sensitive rooms. A Frozen Biome can absorb that heat for many cycles, and natural tiles are useful for soaking up temperature rise where available. Although the generator burns coal and produces waste heat overall, it also effectively deletes some heat from the coal itself as fuel enters the building, so the temperature of the delivered coal can matter in specialized thermal setups.

A Coal Generator does not stop on its own when batteries are full. If left unattended, it will keep consuming fuel and producing exhaust. The usual solution is to connect it to a Smart Battery and automation wire so that it only runs when needed; a standby threshold around 90% is a common setup. If automation disables the generator, duplicants will not refill it and may even stop partway through a refuel job, so the control logic should be planned before relying on manual topping-up.

The Coal Generator is also well suited to automation and logistics. Auto-Sweepers can service it from nearby coal storage, reducing duplicant labor and making it easier to lock the room so workers do not interfere. Its tile of interest is the bottom-middle tile, so coal delivery and sweeper reach need to account for that placement. For fuel supply, ranching Hatches is a common way to convert less useful resources into coal; on average, a generator needs about 8.5 Hatches, or a little over 4 Sage Hatches, to run continuously, though battery automation can reduce the real demand.

• Keep it in a cool, sealed space if possible.
• Place it low in the base so carbon dioxide settles where it can be contained.
• Use a Smart Battery to avoid wasting coal once power storage is full.
• Use Auto-Sweepers and coal storage to reduce duplicant workload.
• Supply coal by ranching Hatches if you want a renewable fuel source.