Astroneer Power Cells Guide: How to Craft, Capacity, & Throughput

(Estimated Read Time: 2 minutes)

Power is an essential resource in Astroneer. Without sufficient power, players can’t use various items, such as the Soil Centrifuge for farming Clay. But you can use Power Cells to supply energy to certain items that aren't already powered, most especially useful for emergencies or early expansion. Here, you’ll learn how to craft and properly use Power Cells in Astroneer.

How to Craft Power Cells in Astroneer

First, unlock the recipe to craft a Power Cell using 800 Bytes. Once unlocked, use 1x Graphite from the Backpack Printer to craft 1x Power Cell. Thankfully, Graphite is a reasonably common resource on all Astroneer planets. Use your Terrain Tool (press the “E” keyboard key by default for PC users), and use them on the dark, tubular clusters. Alternatively, you can farm Graphite for Power Cells using two full Soil Canisters at the Soil Centrifuge. Another method to collect this material is trading 1x Scrap for 2x Graphite. Tip: Check out our Astroneer Beginner’s Guide to reach a point wherein gathering Graphite to use in crafting Power Cells becomes easier than usual.

Using Power Cells in Astroneer

A single Power Cell has a capacity of 48 units of energy. It delivers power at 1 unit per second to the attached item. This throughput is equivalent to filling a bar of a Small Battery in 4 seconds. One Power Cell can also power a Buggy for 42 minutes. On the other hand, it can only supply energy to a Medium Rover for 96 seconds. Note that these vehicles will use and deplete any attached Power Cell before their on-board energy reserves. It’s also important to mention that Power Cells are consumable items. That means that these items will disappear once you deplete their energy reserves. Also, Power Cells that aren’t fully charged will almost immediately discharge and disappear when placed in the backpack.