Most machines in outpost engineer require power in the form of electricity to operate.
This post highlights the currently implemented ways to generate electricity.
The Combustion generator
The first option you unlock to generate electricity is the combustion generator. It burns coal.
Once you setup automation for it, your first generator will get you good enough power generation for the early game.
Solar panels
Late game, once you unlocked silica and circuit boards, you'll unlock solar panels.
Solar panels require no input, but are only active during daytime. During daytime, they follow the inclination of the sun.
To expand your electrical storage/capacity, you can also add some accumulators (batteries) to store excess energy.
How much you consume or produce can be consulted by accessing power poles and other electrical systems. The game tracks the last 30 seconds of consumption and production per electrical grid and displays it with some graphs.
Particle Cannon
The late game goal is to build a particle cannon. It uses energy to charge, and once fully charged can open a stable wormhole portal back to earth.
The time it takes to charge greatly depends on the number of particle accelerators you attach to the cannon. Every added particle accelerator cumulatively decreases charging time but also linearly increases power consumption. You'll need to invest in your energy grid to be able to handle the load.
That's it for this post, thank you for reading!