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Old 12-29-2017, 03:09 PM   #2
starslayer
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Default Re: Accumulators: A concept for GURPS Spaceships

I agree with your basic concept; however.

Energy storage capacity and discharge rate are pretty much inversely proportional. Capacitors discharge quickly (but can't store a lot) and batteries store a lot (but can't discharge quickly).

A superconducting loop is a capacitor, not a battery.

With that said power cells which start appearing at TL9+ seem to have solved this issue, having discharge rates fast enough for rapid fire lasers and energy capacity in excess of any modern battery while only being trivially heavier.

Massive storage of power and rapid discharge at the rate required for energy weapons, etc, will be at such high levels of power that you will be generating as much if not more detectable gauss energy and radio emissions, so I would dispose any notes about it being more stealthy to use the power reserve.
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