Description

Advanced power supplies include high-energy-density, low-mass supplies that deliver power over a sustained period, and pulsed supplies that provide high energy peaks with controlled waveforms for special applications. Both types have critical national security applications.

These power supplies are also of increasing importance for environmental monitoring, resource exploration, communications, and other commercial applications.

Impact on Economy

Power supplies contribute to economic prosperity by contributing to distributed generation systems and providing potential new sources of energy for clean cars. While new power supply technologies will have some impact on the energy distribution equipment manufacturing industry, their biggest impact may be in the trade sector of the economy because there is a significant export market for advanced power supplies.

High-energy- density, low-mass power supplies are critical for smart weapons systems, as well as for space systems, reconnaissance vehicles, remote sensing, and other military applications in which power must be available at remote sites.

Pulsed power supplies are critical for many military applications, including radar and other detection/targeting systems. In the absence of underground nuclear testing, pulsed electrical power supplies are critical to simulating nuclear weapons effects through the production of X-rays, particle beams, and electromagnetic pulses (EMP) under controlled conditions.

Russia is slightly ahead of the United States in advanced power supplies--i.e., high-energy or pulsed power supplies suitable for such applications as electronic warfare and directed energy weapon systems.

Under development.