This mod adds replicators, machines which can produce items using nothing but electricity. Lower tiers of replicators are the most energy efficient and can essentially transform depleted, empty land into a resource. Higher tier replicators can simplify production lines or otherwise act as a convenience. Tier 1 replicators can replace depleted mining drills, allowing your expansion to be for growth rather than necessity.
The shift in late November 2021 was caused by a change in the way we count mod downloads. A download is counted when a user downloads a specific mod release for the first time. We take in-game and web downloads into account.