Why Your DSP Power Grid Keeps Crashing (And How to Fix It)
Your DSP factory just blacked out? Here's the cascade explained and the emergency restart protocol to bring everything back online.
Everything is running. Then: darkness. Sorters moving like they're underwater. Your thermal plants flickering on and off. The death spiral.
Here's what happened and how to fix it.
Factory drains power → sorters slow down → thermal plants don't get fuel → production drops → more power loss → everything dies.
The fix: Disconnect non-essential buildings. Feed thermal plants manually. Then build more solar.
⚡ What Just Happened (The Cascade)
DSP has a nasty feedback loop that first-timers always run into:
- Your factory hits max power draw
- Sorters and miners slow down (they're starved)
- Slow sorters = thermal plants don't get coal/fuel delivered fast enough
- Thermal plants start turning off
- Less power = even slower sorters
- Everything spirals to zero
This is called the cascade. It's the #1 reason your DSP factory dies in the first 10 hours.
It's the #1 reason your DSP factory dies in the first 10 hours.
It's a "my fuel delivery chain just collapsed" problem. Adding more thermal plants while the cascade is running will make it worse because they drain even more power trying to start up.
Emergency Restart Protocol
You're in the middle of it. Factory's dead. Here's the restart:
The 4-step breakdown:
☀️ The Permanent Fix: Solar Belt
The cascade happens because thermal plants depend on fuel delivery. Scrolls slow → fuel doesn't arrive → death. The solution: solar panels around the equator.
You need to research Solar Panels (pretty cheap). Then:
- Fly above the equator of your starting planet
- Hold shift and drag a line of solar panels across the equator
- Keep going — three full laps should cover your early game needs
- Connect them all together
A full solar belt produces ~15-20 MW of constant, zero-maintenance power. That's enough to run your factory without touching a single piece of coal.
The Mid-Game Answer: Fusion
By the time you hit Yellow Science, you'll need more power than solar can provide. Switch to Deuterium Fuel Rods and fusion plants. One fusion power plant = ~40 MW with a steady fuel line.
Don't wait until you're drowning to make this switch. The moment you research Fusion, build one plant + a production line for fuel rods. Your solar belt will still help, but fusion becomes your backbone.
Quick Reference
| Scenario | Fix |
|---|---|
| Grid is currently dead | Delete buildings, hand-feed thermal, stabilize |
| Grid is alive but unstable | Build solar belt around equator |
| You just unlocked Yellow Science | Research fusion, build one plant |
| Power is fine but mining slows | Your grid is near max — build solar ASAP |
Bottom Line
The cascade is terrifying the first time it happens. After that, you'll see it coming from a mile away. The second your sorters slow down and your power bar is 95%+ full: stop expanding and build solar. Don't push your luck.