Sons of the Forest Power Guide: Solar Panels, Batteries, Lamps

In Sons of the Forest you usually rough it, surviving with whatever the island provides. Thankfully, that also includes electricity, which you can use in your base with items like solar panels and light bulbs. You’re not the first person to settle on this island, after all. As you progress, you can set up small circuits to not only bring light to the darkness but also power a few traps. Today we’re taking a closer look at power in Sons of the Forest—how to generate it and put it to use.

Power sources in Sons of the Forest: find solar panels, batteries, and wires

Power on an island like Sons of the Forest doesn’t just come out of the ground. Even though the Puffton family’s bunkers apparently have electricity, you can’t really make use of it.

As players, we need to find solar panels, which are scattered across various camps on the island. Keep an eye out for tents from previous visitors and you’ll spot some panels. They’re easy to recognize—those blue cells really stand out against the forest’s green. Once you have them, you can generate power by setting them up.

Panels alone aren’t enough to use electricity effectively. To store energy overnight, you also need large batteries. These are taken from golf carts found around the island. Hunt for golf carts—your best bet is the northeast, where the golf course is located.

The third component for a circuit in Sons of the Forest is wire. You can find it practically everywhere, usually in crates or other camp spots. The orange wires are used in many build instructions and serve as your actual power lines.

Install solar panels, hook up batteries, and run wires

To get familiar with panels, check your guidebook for instructions. You can place panels on a flat surface or on a slope up to 45 degrees. It’s actually irrelevant whether they face the sun or not—the game doesn’t factor orientation in. They fit nicely on a roof, but you can also hide them under the floor.

Because solar panels only generate power during the day, you should always attach a large battery to buffer energy. That’s covered in the guidebook as well. You can deploy multiple panels and link them to power more devices.

Grab a wire spool from your inventory and connect one end to the lower-right corner of the solar panel. Then route the wire; the intended path is shown as a dashed white line. You can let the wire hang in the air and connect it to other parts of your base. For a cleaner look, wrap the wire around log beams to hide your runs. Thanks to the intuitive building system, it’s usually obvious where you can run wire and where you can’t.

Use power: lighting, decor, and defense in Sons of the Forest

Install light bulbs: wire routing and power needs

The simplest use—also suggested in your book—is installing light bulbs in your base. You’ve likely already found a few bulbs and now need to mount them. First, run wire horizontally along a beam; bulbs can only be attached that way. You’ll see a downward arrow when you can screw in a bulb. Each solar panel can power up to ten light bulbs. If you want more lighting, you’ll need additional panels.

Leg lamp: find the blueprint and hook it up

The leg lamp is definitely an unusual decor piece! You can’t craft it right away—you first need to find the blueprint. It’s located a bit south of the large river on the east side of the island, near an abandoned house and a mine entrance. Once built, the lamp must be connected directly to a power wire to light up.

Floodlights: blueprint, mounting, and aiming

Another lighting option for your base is floodlights, which you can mount on exterior walls. They’re much brighter than light bulbs but only shine in a single direction. You also need to find the blueprint first, which is not far from the leg lamp. Follow the blue question mark on your GPS. Use the blueprint to place the floodlights outside, then connect them with wire.

Electric fence: defend your base with power

With electric fences, you can effectively defend your base once you’ve collected and set up enough solar panels. First build a regular fence in free build mode, then wrap wire around the individual sticks. White arrows and lines show where you can route the wire. You’ll see the orange wire, and when powered, blue sparks. Caution: don’t run into your own fence—it hurts!

Large Cross: ward off demons with light

The last use for wires is the Large Cross. You’ll find the blueprint in the northern beach cave, where you should also look for the rebreather first. It also requires several light bulbs and can be seen from far away once built. The cross can help keep weaker mutants and demons away from your base.

Conclusion: power, solar panels, and lights in Sons of the Forest

With power, you can give your base a fresh look and use far more effective light sources. Whether light bulbs, the grotesque leg lamp, or outdoor floodlights—for advanced builds, it’s absolutely worth investing in solar panels. If you rent one of our Sons of the Forest servers, you can expand your base together with friends. Many items only become craftable later via blueprints—so it pays to explore the entire island. Along the way, you can find light bulbs, batteries, and new panels!