Pulsed power packs a punch: Lasers, electromagnetic launchers, and fusion reactors require enormous, instantaneous pulses of power not available from the utilities' mains

Electric power is routinely supplied by utilities in a continuous flow. But for many applications, ranging from thermonuclear-fusion research and high-energy particle accelerators to lasers and electromagnetic launchers, power must be delivered in short, huge bursts. To deliver this “pulsed” power, energy must be collected at low power, stored, and then released almost instantaneously.