Master every power stage in Dyson Sphere Program. Complete guide to wind turbine placement, thermal power ratios, fusion plant setup, and antimatter self-sustaining loop. Never get a blackout again.

Power is the single most common reason DSP factories stop. A blackout cascades - miners stop, belts stop, power generators starve, more things stop. Understanding each power tier and when to transition prevents hours of troubleshooting.

Tier 1: Wind Turbines (Early Game)

Wind Turbines are your first power source. Each generates 300 kW continuously regardless of wind percentage on most planets. The key advantage is zero fuel cost and zero maintenance.

**Layout trick:** Place wind turbines along the edges of your base footprint in a double row. They take no space inside your factory and provide reliable baseline power. Build 30 before transitioning to thermal.

Tier 2: Thermal Power (Early to Mid Game)

Thermal generators burn anything. The smartest fuel is refined oil byproducts or coal.

Fuel Efficiency Comparison

Energetic

Coal

The transition point is when you have 5+ thermal generators. Before that, wind turbines are cheaper. Build thermal generators in groups of 4, daisy-chained with conveyor belts. One Mk.I belt of Energetic Graphite feeds ~8 thermal generators.

Tier 3: Fusion Power (Mid to Late Game)

Fusion Power Stations are the biggest power jump in the game. One station with Deuterium Fuel Rods produces 10 MW + bonus from proliferation.

Fusion Plant Economics

Switch from thermal to fusion when:

• [ ] Your power demand exceeds 30 MW
• [ ] You have stable deuterium production (orbital collectors + fractionators)
• [ ] You have titanium supply for the rod production chain
• [ ] You have at least 4 Fusion Power Stations ready

Fusion plants do not suffer from the thermal cascade failure problem. They consume rods at a constant rate regardless of grid load. This makes them dramatically safer for factory-critical systems.

Tier 4: Antimatter (Endgame)

Antimatter power is for Dyson Sphere builders only. The loop requires:

1. Dyson Sphere producing Critical Photons
2. Ray Receivers capturing photons
3. Particle Colliders converting photons to Antimatter + Hydrogen
4. Artificial Suns burning Antimatter Fuel Rods

One Artificial Sun with Antimatter Fuel Rods produces 75 MW. A single rod burns for approximately 3 minutes. With Mk.III proliferator applied to both the rod production and the fuel input, one rod lasts nearly 5 minutes.

**Endgame tip:** Build the antimatter loop on a planet in the Dyson Sphere's orbit. Ray Receivers get 100% uptime inside the sphere. Ship Antimatter Fuel Rods out to your production planets via ILS. Never try to run Ray Receivers on planets outside the sphere - the efficiency loss is not worth it.

Summary: When to Transition

Skip no tier. Each transition is a stepping stone. The fastest path to stable power is: Wind -> Thermal (coal/graphite) -> Fusion -> Antimatter.

For a complete endgame power setup, see our DSP Antimatter Power Guide.