SunBlock One: A Solar Powered Minecraft Server
SunBlock is a research-creation project to build a solar powered modded Minecraft server with custom mods that give access to real time data about the energy production and consumption of the system as a condition of possibility for playing the game.
OUR GOAL
The goal of our project is to blend the actual material conditions of gameplay (the computer hardware, networking and energy infrastructure) with the production of the gameworld itself. Rather than just playing a game with thematics or a message around energy transition, we are endeavoring to provide a direct, tangible and playable experience of the energy infrastructures which make that experience possible.
DIY
SunBlock is designed as a DIY system with documentation, schematics and relevant code available on our Github. A the core of the system is a custom mod, the SunBlock API, which provides real-time data from the solar controller for use in mod creation. Monitor the state of the battery through an in-game HUD, make a “actually” solar powered sword, change the behavior of mobs, or create a new source of energy to power your builds.
THE FUTURE
Our long-term goal is to inspire other groups to build their own solar Minecraft servers (research teams, schools, clubs or just a group of friends). Eventually we will create a solar powered network with Minecraft worlds sharded across multiple servers in several time zones – a worldwide solar powered Minecraft community!
Please reach out to us if you have any interest or questions about our project. We especially want to encourage modders and modpack developers to join us in exploring this new form of Minecraft play. Don’t just pretend to use alternative energy in your game… actually use it.
Now you are playing with power!
GAIA’S RIDDLE (2025)
We are currently making a game experience using SunBlock One called Gaia’s Riddle. Gaia’s Riddle is an SMP modpack for java Minecraft 1.20.1 which features a map-based storyline about a world under stress from climate change. Players are invited to work together to explore, build and progress through mods which emphasize the dynamic relationship between player activity and the Minecraft environment all within a system structured by the players’ relation to SunBlock One. The experience brings diegetic and non-diegetic elements to bare on questions about energy management and governance, permacomputing, climate anxiety, and the social and cultural dimensions of climate change.
What’s the status of SunBlock One?
We are constantly monitoring the status of our server and our battery, and you can too! Click the button below to follow along live.
How much power are we using?
How much solar energy is available at different times of day?
How long before the lights go out in the game world?
The SunBlock Team
Many people have contributed to the success of this project, and we look forward to seeing our numbers grow!
For now, this is our core research team:
Dr. Bart Simon
Design Lead & Mod Choreography
Shahrom Ali
System Design & Battery Wrangler
Quinn Saggio
Narrative Design & Map Design
Rosie McDonald
Community Management & Map Design
Photo Gallery
Here are some images that showcase the SunBlock One setup at Concordia University in Montreal, as well as some screenshots from our mod pack, Gaia’s Riddle, and a few of the mods we’ve built for it.
