Sun Lamp

Sun Lamp is a building that provides an artificial source of sunlight, used mainly to create conditions that count as daylight for plants and Duplicants. It emits light downward in a wide cone, with its largest horizontal light coverage reaching the 11th tile below it for a width of 23 tiles. Because its light falls off rapidly with distance, it is most useful when placed directly above the area that needs illumination.

In practical use, Sun Lamp is a power-hungry building, and its continuous draw makes it expensive to run without some form of control. Automation can be used to reduce wasted power, especially with a Duplicant Motion Sensor or similar logic so it only runs when needed. This is particularly important if the lamp is being used for comfort or morale rather than constant crop support.

• To give Duplicants the benefit of sunlight near Beach Chairs, the lamp must be placed very close to them. The light intensity drops off quickly with distance, so a high-mounted lamp far away will not provide much effect.
• Gas Grass can be grown beneath Sun Lamps, but the energy balance is poor, so this setup is generally inefficient.
• Because the lamp draws power continuously while active, automation is strongly recommended to minimize electricity consumption.
• Its wide light spread makes it better suited to dedicated, controlled spaces than to general colony lighting.

The building is therefore best treated as a specialized tool rather than a convenient all-purpose light source. When used for decor, leisure, or crop support, its placement matters more than with most other buildings, since distance severely reduces the benefit. In setups where power is limited, turning it on only during use can make the difference between a practical luxury and a constant drain on the grid.