Learn how to find and use the Solar Bank
Tired of constantly gassing up generators? Do your batteries keep running dead? Looking for a clean, renewable, sustainable energy source in 7 Days to Die? Then the Solar Bank is exactly what you need. These expensive, high-end rigs can utilize solar cells to turn sunlight into power to keep the lights on and those turrets humming.
This guide will walk you through how to find and use a Solar Bank and offer advice on maintaining it.
How to find a Solar Bank in 7 Days to Die
Solar Banks are incredibly useful and worthwhile investments, but their technology’s sophistication seems beyond what even our crafty survivor can conjure. You can’t craft a Solar Bank or Solar Cells, no matter how skilled your character is.
There are only three ways to acquire solar power tech: Find, Buy, or Earn it.
Find it
Locating Solar Banks and solar cells by scavenging is extremely difficult and highly unlikely. Only players with the highest levels of scavenging perks should assume that finding solar tech in loot is even possible. For those that meet that criteria, focus on searching electronics stores, electronics crates, and hardened loot chests.
Buy it
Once again, purchasing these coveted power sources will require some serious skills. This time you’ll need bartering, and lots of it. Only players with extremely high barter rates will be able to purchase these devices from the secret stash tab of a trader, and only with a hefty chunk of change.
Earn it
Though the most accessible method of finding these machines, it’s still quite rare for players to be offered a Solar Bank Bundle as a reward for completing a quest. If you want to earn your solar tech, finishing high-tier quests is your best bet.
How to use a Solar Bank in 7 Days to Die
As with all electrical devices, this machine will require the player to utilize a Wire Tool for it to be of any use.
The Solar Bank is a rather simple device to use, providing only 3 main functions when being interacted with.
Pressing the interact key while aiming at a Solar Bank will open the interact screen, while holding down the interact key will open a radial menu with two options, allowing the player to turn the cells on and off or to open the interact screen.
If the bank is inside the player’s land claim, then a third option will appear, allowing the player to pick up the Solar Bank and return it to their inventory, assuming it is deactivated and has no solar cells in it.
From the interact screen, the player can view the max output, current power, and solar cell compartment of the Solar Bank. All available actions for the Solar Bank (except for ‘pick up’) may also be performed from the interact screen.
Power
The Solar Bank utilizes a number of Solar Cells to power electrical systems. The Max Output limit informs the player of how much power an individual Solar Bank can produce at any given time. Electrical systems requiring energy in excess of this limit will not be powered.
The Power meter informs the player of how much energy is currently being drawn from an individual Solar Bank.
Note that the Solar Bank will ONLY produce power during the day.
Solar Cells
The cells panel allows the player to insert or remove Solar Cells from the bank, but only when inactive. These cells are rare, complex components that can only be acquired similarly to Solar Banks.
A Solar Bank requires at least 1 cell to function and may hold up to 6 total. The max output of each solar cell depends on its quality level. Higher-level cells will produce more power, with a maximum charge of 180w for a single Solar Bank if powered by 6 quality 6 solar cells. Solar cells will not degrade and never need to be replaced or repaired.
Here is a brief list of each solar cell’s individual charge:
- Quality 1: 17w
- Quality 2: 20w
- Quality 3: 22w
- Quality 4: 25w
- Quality 5: 27w
- Quality 6: 30w
Wiring
Solar Banks must be connected to an electrical grid or directly to other devices with a Wire Tool. Since the Solar Bank produces power, it will typically be the origin point for any wires.
Tips and tricks for using the Solar Bank
- Solar Banks will only produce power during the day, meaning anything directly relying on the bank’s power will shut off at night.
- Adding Battery Banks to your power grid can allow excess energy to be stored by the Solar Bank to keep things running during the night.
- Solar Banks produce small amounts of noise when active and may attract nearby enemies or alert other players.
- Solar Banks are quite vulnerable to physical attack and explosives, so keep them safe from enemies.
- Solar Cells never degrade and never need to be repaired or replaced.
Final thoughts on the Solar Bank
The Fun Pimps clearly understood the incredible value of being able to produce renewable solar energy in the apocalypse. Without relying on Battery or Generator Banks, players utilizing an electrical grid don’t need to worry about running out of fuel or replacing batteries. Just be sure to keep that solar array somewhere safe because anything this hard to come by will surely be the target of jealous survivors.
Looking for some other tips to help you get started in 7 Days to Die? Check out our 10 Tips for Getting Started and the 7 Days to Die Beginner’s Guide.
