[Elecraft] Battery vs Ultracapacitor

[wayne burdick]

>
Hi Kevin,

> One day we may be running our rigs from ultracapacitors instead of 
> batteries.  They recharge extremely rapidly.  They store charge for a 
> long period of time.  And they discharge at rates that put the best 
> batteries to shame.  If you need high amperage devices (think your 100 
> watt rig on transmit) these will fill the bill....

I think your calculations are right. Meanwhile (next 5 years), I'll put 
my money on miniature fuel cells. They're already available for some 
applications, such as mobile of recharging cell phone batteries. There 
are fuel-cell-powered bicycles under development, too.

For example, I think a KBT2-sized power plant might one day power a K2 
for 100 or so hours (rough guess). Just pop in a new hydrogen cell when 
it runs down. Need hydrogen? Split some water molecules with solar 
energy -- totally sustainable ham operation  ;)

There are also bacteria that produce hydrogen, when properly "trained."

73,
Wayne
N6KR

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