Renewable Energy Idler

Playtest in progress

Night shift at a clean power campus.

Renewable Energy Idler

Warm light on cool metal. Keep the grid awake after the sun steps down.

Renewable Energy Idler is a component-based idle/incremental game: build realistic renewable energy systems, earn Energy Credits by feeding energy to the grid, research component upgrades, allocate kWh between grid and lab, and account for weather, component degradation, and time-of-use pricing, with prestige via a Reset Multiplier.

Playtest in progress. This site is about the game: story, wiki, and version notes. It does not host downloads.

Wiki

Energy sources

Six generation sources, each with a distinct upgrade path. Unlocks (except Human Power) follow the research chain.

  • Human Power Human Power

    Starting source. Direct to the DC Bus; no charge controller, no degradation. Tiers unlock on lifetime kWh generated and stack.

  • Solar Solar

    Solar Panel units. Charge-controller gated. Output modified by weather (clouds, rain, storms).

  • Wind Wind

    Wind Turbine units. Charge-controller gated. Routine weather plus hourly gust scaling.

  • Hydro Hydro

    Hydro Turbine units. Charge-controller gated. Weather and storm multipliers apply by type.

  • Ocean Ocean

    Ocean Rig units. Charge-controller gated. Unlocked through the research chain.

  • Geothermal Geothermal

    Geothermal Well units. Charge-controller gated. Unlocked through the research chain.

Core features

  • Energy systems. Human Power, Solar, Wind, Hydro, Ocean, and Geothermal with distinct upgrade paths.
  • Allocation. Split inverter kWh between grid (Energy Credits) and lab (upgrades) with the Power Allocation Slider.
  • Degradation. Generators lose effectiveness down to a 20% floor. Instant Repair, Full Maintenance, and Maintenance Contracts.
  • Weather. Daily weather modifiers on generation output, including a 5-day forecast and severe storms.
  • Time-of-use pricing. EC revenue uses hour windows and a TOU multiplier on grid sales.
  • Progression. Unlock sources via the research chain; upgrade generators, charge controllers, batteries, and inverters in the lab.
  • Prestige. Endless play. Manual reset in the Research Lab applies a Reset Multiplier to later EC gains. Achievements persist.
  • Achievements. Research, entertainment, challenge, and milestone categories. Optional targets, not win conditions.
  • Interface. Component views, energy flow graphs, economics dashboard, weather forecasts, mouse controls.
  • Educational display. Transparent calculations for energy production, research costs, EC earnings, and efficiency. Components use real names (charge controllers, inverters, batteries, DC Bus).

Game loop

  1. Generate energy on the DC Bus.
  2. Send inverter output to the grid to earn Energy Credits (EC).
  3. Purchase unlocked generators, charge controllers, batteries, and inverters.
  4. Allocate remaining inverter output between grid and lab; research unlocks the next tier.
  5. Repeat. Reset Multiplier prestige is manual and optional.

Version

Godot 4.7. Playtest in progress. Changelog notes will land here; none yet.