Mekanism: Generators

Overview

Mekanism Generators is an addon module for the base Mekanism mod that focuses entirely on power generation. It adds six standalone generator blocks, a massive Industrial Turbine multiblock for converting Steam into energy, and the ultimate Fusion Reactor that produces virtually unlimited power. Each generator type has its own fuel source and energy output, letting you choose the right power solution for your current stage of progression.

You can browse all items and recipes this module adds using the tabs at the top of this page. This guide walks you through each generator type, from the simplest early-game options to the endgame Fusion Reactor, explaining how each one works and when to use it.

Prerequisites

Mekanism Generators requires the base Mekanism mod installed. Most generator recipes call for Enriched Alloy, Energy Tablets, and Basic Control Circuits, so you will need at least a Metallurgic Infuser and an Enrichment Chamber running before you can craft any generators. The more advanced machines like the Industrial Turbine and Fusion Reactor require Ultimate Control Circuits, Electrolytic Separators, and other late-game Mekanism infrastructure.

Early Game Generators

Heat Generator

The Heat Generator is the simplest and most accessible power source. It has a 160,000 J internal buffer and operates in two modes simultaneously. Active mode consumes Lava from its internal tank (24,000 mB capacity), draining 10 mB per tick to produce energy. Passive mode generates bonus energy from adjacent Lava source blocks and from being in the Nether dimension. You can also feed it any vanilla furnace fuel, which gets converted into Lava internally at half the normal burn value.

The Heat Generator uses a heat transfer system with thermal efficiency of 0.5 and converts heat into energy through a Carnot cycle. This means output scales with the temperature differential. In practice, surrounding it with Lava and placing it in the Nether maximizes throughput. It accepts Lava from pipes on any face except the front output face.

Solar Generator

The Solar Generator produces free energy during daytime as long as it has a clear view of the sky. It stores up to 96,000 J and outputs from its bottom face only, making it perfect for placing on rooftops. Output varies based on the biome's temperature and humidity, with hot, dry biomes producing more power. During rain or thunderstorms, output drops to 20% of its peak. The Solar Generator has a compact hitbox (70% height) so it sits low on whatever surface you place it on.

Bio Generator

The Bio Generator burns Bio Fuel (crafted via the Crusher from organic matter in base Mekanism) or accepts piped-in Bioethanol fluid. Each Bio Fuel item provides 200 units of fuel. The internal tank holds 24,000 units and depletes at 1 unit per tick while generating energy. It stores up to 160,000 J. The Bio Generator accepts fuel from any side except the front face and is best paired with an automated Bio Fuel production line.

Mid Game Generators

Advanced Solar Generator

The Advanced Solar Generator is a 3x3x3 multiblock structure that produces significantly more energy than the basic Solar Generator. It stores 200,000 J and outputs from its facing direction. When placed, it occupies a 3x3 area two blocks above its base position, so you need a clear 3x3x3 space. It checks for sky access at its topmost point (3 blocks above base). Like the basic model, output is affected by biome temperature, humidity, and weather. It also functions as an Evaporation Solar panel for Thermal Evaporation Plants.

Wind Generator

The Wind Generator is a tall structure (5 blocks high including the base) that produces energy based on its altitude. It stores 200,000 J. The higher you place it, the more power it generates, scaling linearly between a configurable minimum Y level and maximum Y level. The turbine blade sits 4 blocks above the base and needs a clear view of the sky at that height. Wind Generators can be disabled per-dimension via the config's dimension blacklist, making them a flexible but location-dependent power source.

Gas-Burning Generator

The Gas-Burning Generator accepts any gas registered as a fuel through Mekanism's Fuel Handler system, most commonly Hydrogen from an Electrolytic Separator. Its internal gas tank holds 18,000 mB. Unlike other generators, the Gas-Burning Generator dynamically adjusts its output and buffer based on the type of fuel being burned. It consumes fuel faster when its tank is fuller, scaling consumption up to 256 units per tick at maximum. This generator also accepts Ethylene (Ethene), making it part of an advanced Bio Fuel processing chain when paired with a Pressurized Reaction Chamber.

Industrial Turbine

The Industrial Turbine is a large multiblock structure that converts Steam into energy. It is the primary mid-to-late game power generation method, especially when paired with a Thermoelectric Boiler from base Mekanism. The turbine's size and internal components determine how much Steam it can process and how much energy it produces.

Structure Components

The Industrial Turbine must have odd-numbered length and width dimensions. Its shell is built from Turbine Casings, with Turbine Valves for Steam input and energy output, and Turbine Vents for exhausting water. Inside, the lower section houses Turbine Rotors stacked vertically along the center axis, with Turbine Blades attached to each rotor (up to 2 per rotor, maximum 28 blades total). A Rotational Complex sits directly above the rotor column, with a full layer of Pressure Dispersers at the same height (from base Mekanism). Above the Rotational Complex, Electromagnetic Coils convert the rotation into energy, and Saturating Condensers reclaim water from processed Steam.

How It Works

Steam enters through Turbine Valves, fills the lower volume, and flows through the Pressure Dispersers. The flow rate is determined by the lower volume multiplied by the number of dispersers and the disperser gas flow config value, capped by the number of Turbine Vents times the vent gas flow value. Energy output per mB of Steam is calculated as (maxEnergyPerSteam / 28) multiplied by the effective blade count (the minimum of total blades and coils times bladesPerCoil). The turbine's energy storage scales with total volume at 16 MJ per block, and fluid capacity is 64,000 mB per block of lower volume.

Optimizing Your Turbine

To maximize output, balance three factors: blades, coils, and vents. Each Electromagnetic Coil supports a configurable number of blades (default 4). If you have more blades than coils can support, the excess blades are wasted. Conversely, excess coils without enough blades contribute nothing. Make sure your vent count and disperser layer can handle your Steam input rate. Saturating Condensers recover water at a configurable rate per condenser, allowing you to recycle water back to your boiler.

Fusion Reactor

The Fusion Reactor is the ultimate power generation system in Mekanism Generators. It is a spherical multiblock structure that fuses Deuterium and Tritium into D-T Fuel, generating enormous amounts of energy in the process. Building one requires Ultimate Control Circuits and extensive Mekanism infrastructure, but the payoff is virtually unlimited power.

Structure

The Fusion Reactor forms a 5x5x5 hollow sphere shape. The frame is built from Reactor Frames, with the faces filled using Reactor Glass, Reactor Ports, or Laser Focus Matrix blocks. The Reactor Controller goes on top (2 blocks above center). The 3x3x3 interior must be completely empty. Reactor Ports serve as input/output points for fuel, water, steam, and energy. The Laser Focus Matrix blocks must be placed on the horizontal faces only (the four cardinal sides at center height), and are used to inject laser energy to ignite the plasma.

Fueling the Reactor

The reactor uses two fuel gases: Deuterium and Tritium, each stored in a 1,000 mB internal tank. These are combined into D-T Fuel (also 1,000 mB tank). To produce Deuterium, run Water through an Electrolytic Separator. To produce Tritium, process Lithium in an Electrolytic Separator (Lithium comes from processing Brine in a Thermal Evaporation Plant). The injection rate controls how much Deuterium and Tritium are consumed per tick, set in even increments up to a maximum of 98 mB/t.

Ignition and the Hohlraum

Before the Fusion Reactor can ignite, you must place a Hohlraum filled with D-T Fuel into the Reactor Controller's inventory slot. The Hohlraum is a special item that holds exactly 10 units of D-T Fuel at a transfer rate of 1 unit per tick. It is crafted via the Metallurgic Infuser by infusing 4 Gold Dust with Carbon. Once the Hohlraum is loaded, you need to heat the plasma above the burn temperature (approximately 100 million Kelvin) using a Laser Amplifier aimed at a Laser Focus Matrix. Once ignition occurs, the Hohlraum is consumed and the reactor begins burning fuel.

Power Output Modes

The Fusion Reactor produces energy in two ways. Passive generation converts case heat directly into energy via thermocouples at 5% efficiency. Active cooling mode pipes Water in and produces Steam out, which can then be fed into an Industrial Turbine for even more energy. The water tank capacity scales with injection rate (100,000 mB per unit of injection rate) and the steam tank scales at 10 million mB per unit. Active cooling is far more efficient because the Industrial Turbine extracts much more energy from the Steam than passive thermocouple conversion.

Reactor Multiblock Components

The Fusion Reactor uses several specialized blocks. Reactor Frames form the edges of the sphere and cannot be seen through. Reactor Glass fills the flat faces and is transparent, letting you see the plasma effect inside. Reactor Ports handle all fluid, gas, and energy I/O. The Reactor Logic Adapter outputs a redstone signal based on configurable reactor conditions (plasma temperature, case temperature, fuel levels, etc.), which is useful for automated control systems.

The Laser Focus Matrix is a special transparent block that goes on the equatorial faces. You point a Laser Amplifier at it to inject energy into the plasma for ignition. Once the reactor is burning and self-sustaining, the laser is no longer needed unless the reaction stops and needs re-ignition.

Configuration Options

Mekanism Generators exposes many config options that let server owners and pack makers fine-tune power balance. The config is divided into three sections: General (enabling/disabling individual generators), Generators (generation rates for each type), and Generation (energy values). Key settings include the generation rate for each generator type (solarGeneration, advancedSolarGeneration, bioGeneration, heatGeneration, windGenerationMin/Max), wind generator altitude range (windGenerationMinY/MaxY), wind generator dimension blacklist, turbine-specific values (turbineBladesPerCoil, turbineDisperserGasFlow, turbineVentGasFlow, condenserRate), and energyPerFusionFuel for the reactor.

Each of the six standalone generators can be individually enabled or disabled in the config. If a disabled generator already exists in the world and destroyDisabledBlocks is set to true in the main Mekanism config, it will be automatically removed when its chunk loads.