Cities: Skylines Green Power! Scenario Guide + Tips

Row of Wind Turbines in Green Power! Scenario (Cities: Skylines)

“Green Power!” is one of the scenarios you can play with the Cities: Skylines Green Cities DLC. Scenarios are maps (which may or may have a city partially built) that come with certain winning and losing conditions.

The winning conditions for the Green Power! Scenario are:

  • Population over 50,000
  • Electricity production of 500 MW
  • 100% of electricity production from renewable sources

However, you lose the scenario if you:

  • Run out of money (have less than 1₡)
  • 100% of electricity production from polluting sources
  • Average ground pollution over 15%
You can find the Green Power! scenario on the Scenarios tab of the New Game screen. / Cities: Skylines
You can find the Green Power! scenario on the Scenarios tab of the New Game screen.

This guide will offer a step-by-step task list you can follow to complete the scenario successfully.

You can check your progress by clicking on the Goals tab of the Milestones panel. / Cities: Skylines
You can check your progress by clicking on the Goals tab of the Milestones panel.

Map and Starting Conditions

In this scenario, you start with an empty map—a mostly flat one with plenty of buildable space.

You are also given ₡50,000 starting money.

So with this starting point, let’s see what you should do.

The screen upon starting the scenario. / Cities: Skylines
The screen upon starting the scenario.

Task #1: Use Clean Energy

To win the game, you must have your city running on 100% clean energy sources. On the other hand, you’ll lose the game if 100%

Below are the power facilities that count as clean energy in the game:

SCROLL
Building Milestone Unlocked Build Cost Power Output (MW) DLC Required
Wind Turbine Start 6,000 0-8 none
Advanced Wind Turbine Boom Town 12,000 0-20 none
Wave Power Plant Boom Town 14,000 0-20 High Tech Buildings
Geothermal Power Plant Busy Town 65,000 80 Green Cities
Solar Updraft Tower Big Town 90,000 240 Green Cities
Hydro Power Plant* Small City Varies Varies none
Solar Power Plant Grand City 80,000 160 none
Nuclear Power Plant Colossal City 200,000 640 none
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Plant Colossal City 250,000 480 Green Cities
Fusion Power Plant (Monument) Megalopolis 1,000,000 16,000 none

*The cost and power output of the Hydro Power Plant varies depending on how it’s constructed (e.g., the size of the dam and the height of the water).

As you grow your city, you can use “dirty” fuel-consuming power plants like oil and coal, provided you have green energy sources too. You’ll just have to eventually switch to 100% renewable sources eventually to meet the win condition.

It is crucial, though, that you use a wind turbine as your first power plant (if you go with coal as your first, you’ll lose at the very start).

You must use the Wind Turbine as your first power source. / Cities: Skylines
You must use the Wind Turbine as your first power source.

Also, be aware that oil and coal power plants cause ground pollution, so they might put you at risk of losing in that way.

As you grow your city and build more energy production facilities, you’ll be able to reach the other electricity production win condition of 500MW.

Task #2: Keep Average Ground Pollution Under 15%

The other thing you need to be mindful of is ground pollution. You can keep an eye on your ground pollution percentage by clicking on the Goals tab of the Milestones panel.

You can also check where the pollution is on your map on the Pollution info view. / Cities: Skylines
You can also check where the pollution is on your map on the Pollution info view.

Tip #1: Use Farm & Forestry Specializations or Industry Area

Generic industry will be the main source of ground pollution in most cities.

Eventually, you’ll want to phase most of them out with offices.

Until you can unlock offices, however, your best choice is to go with farm or forest industry specialization, as neither of these pollute the ground.

Find fertile land (for farming) or forestry area on your map by clicking the Natural Resources button on the Info Views panel.

Draw a district over the natural resource, then apply the appropriate specialization, which you’ll find under the Industrial Specializations tab.

These industrial buildings with the farming specialization will not cause ground pollution. / Cities: Skylines
These industrial buildings with the farming specialization will not cause ground pollution.

Alternatively, if you have the Industries DLC, you can also go with the farm and forest ploppable industry areas.

Be aware, however, that the processing buildings (e.g. the flour mill, cattle shed, and paper production facilities) produce some amount of pollution.

The polluted (brown areas) in this farm industry area is from the flour mill, bakery, cattle shed, and milking parlor. The crop and fruit fields (encircled) produce none. / Cities: Skylines
The polluted (brown areas) in this farm industry area is from the flour mill, bakery, cattle shed, and milking parlor. The crop and fruit fields (encircled) produce none.

Tip #2: Use Recycling Centers Instead of Landfills and Incinerators

Another major source of ground pollution is your garbage facilities, particularly landfills and incinerators.

While a more costly option, recycling centers are also much less polluting. So at least use some of them instead of relying only on landfills and incinerators.

Tip #3: Use the Filter Industrial Waste Policy

Under the City Planning tab of the Policies panel, you’ll find the Filter Industrial Waste policy.

This comes at a cost of ₡2 per industrial building per week, but will significantly reduce the amount of ground pollution your industrial buildings produce.

The Filter Industrial Waste policy. / Cities: Skylines
The Filter Industrial Waste policy.

Task #3: Grow Your City and Electricity Production

Once you’ve got the hang of keeping your pollution low, winning the scenario is just a matter of growing your city as usual until you hit 50,000.

The map has plenty of buildable land, so space won’t be a problem here.

As your city expands, you’ll of course be needing more electricity, which will help you along your progress towards the win condition of 500MW electricity production.

Just don’t forget that you’ll ultimately have to remove any “dirty” power sources in order to meet the 100% clean energy requirement!

Liz Villegas

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Liz is a writer and photographer with a love for building and strategy games. Her spare time is often split between lifting, reading, drawing, annoying her dog Mr. Porky Butt, and squinting at stat tables on the wiki pages of whatever game she's currently playing.

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