Power

Singularities

The main source of energy at use broadly in the galaxy is black holes. While this may sound dangerous, the simple fact is that black holes, unlike chemical fuels, nuclear reactions, or anti-matter annihilation, don't blow up when their containment systems fail. The worst case scenario, with large singularities used in city or station power systems, is that the thing becomes a minor navigational hazard while new containment systems are brought in. Singularities used in power generation typically won't mass any higher than an average sized moon, and their gravitational attraction drops off sharply as you put distance between it and its surroundings. Generally speaking in planetary gravity wells these are fairly easy to escape unless you happen to be standing right on top of it.

Essentially all singularities used for power are Kerr-Newman black holes of a very tightly controlled and overall very small size, compared to naturally-occurring singularities. They are gravitationally isolated using a gravity manipulation containment system powered by the singularity itself. The singularity's rotation is harvested through shifting magnetic fields while the radiation pressure is converted to heat by the containment system, which is then extracted and converted back to electricity. Modern containment systems range in size from pocket-able cylinders to capsules the size of a large aircraft carrier, and tend to operate at approximately 94% efficiency, losing only the energy needed to power the containment systems and trace amounts to waste heat.

In consumer applications the containment systems for singularities range in thickness from a few millimeters in ASpec batteries to nearly a meter in PSpec batteries. It's worth noting that battery specifications relate to the power output of the battery and not the physical dimensions, though ASpec and BSpec batteries do all tend to be the same size, intended as they are for use in hand-held or on-person applications.

In military or industrial applications containment systems for anything larger than BSpec batteries tend to be heavily reinforced. In larger systems they will even include smaller singularities who's sole purpose is to power redundant gravity systems in the larger containment module. Custom sized singularities are usually commissioned for use on larger spacecraft and in cities.

At large sizes the containment systems will also usually include an ejection system of some sort. Commercial transport vessels may simply mount the singularity near the exterior of the ship such that it can be ejected into space at high velocity if anything goes wrong, while some larger military vessels will include a Hawking Field Controller in the containment module so that the singularity can be ejected into Hawkingspace if containment begins to fail. Very large singularities, such as those that power cities, habitats, and stations, will usually use an ejection system paired with a wormhole generator so that the entire containment assembly can be ejected into deep space somewhere.

Any such emergency ejection of a singularity requires filing an environmental impact statement with the Galactic Council and updating or paying for someone else to update any relevant navigational charts. It's worth noting that most singularities used in power generation are small enough that they cannot survive outside of containment and have virtually no effect on their surroundings if set loose. But there are some exceptionally large ones that can and will continue to draw in mass unpredictably if not properly retrieved.

ASpec batteries

Gravitationally isolated micro-singularity in a containment system of 30cm in length and 10cm in width. Produces up to 1 terawatt full capacity. Expends all of its mass over the course of about a decade, after which the singularity inside devolves into dark matter and becomes inert.

DSpec batteries

Gravitationally isolated micro-singularity in a containment system of approximately 120cm in length and 45cm in width. Produces up to 10 terawatt full capacity. Expends its mass over the course of about 7 years.

ESpec batteries

Containment system usually around 150cm in length and 50-60cm in width. Produces 13 terawatt full capacity. Expends its mass over the course of about 5 years.

FSpec batteries

Containment system usually around 150cm in length and 60cm in width. Produces up to 15 terawatt full capacity. Expends its mass over the course of about 5 years.

PSpec batteries

Containment system of varying design based on application. Produces up to 750 terawatt full capacity. Expends its mass over the course of 8-10 years.

Calib

A traditional chemical energy storage device, what our primitive readers would refer to as a battery, may still be used in certain situations. Circumstances make this a preferable form of energy in a child’s toy, for example, due to the durable nature of their construction and their inability to result in large explosions when shorted, since they produce such a low level of energy. Alkaline or other similar chemical batteries are no longer used, thought ion-based batteries are still prevalent in areas like toy making. The change in terms from ‘battery’ to calib came as the word battery was repurposed for energy producing devices over energy storage devices. Eventually Calib Technologies, a division of Eniac Corporation, was the only company still making them, and the term took over as the identifier for the technology. The amount of energy remaining in the calib versus the total storage amount, what our primitive readers would refer to as a ‘charge’, is expressed as the calibratio, and indicated as a percentage.

Photo-voltaic Energy

While the convenience of a singularity-based power plant can't really be disputed, there's no arguing with the fact that free energy is ample in any star system. Panels that generate power using high-energy photons emitted by stars are still widely produced and usually outfitted to the exterior of most non-armored vessels as a backup power source viable so long as they're reasonably close to any star. This is generally only useful for backup power given that traditional energy storage devices, such as calibs, aren't very common anymore. Photo-voltaic power grids do see deployment on planets and moons as primary power sources for cities and settlements, particularly when the local geography is advantageous for the construction of supplementary wind turbines or reservoir batteries.

QVC (Quantum Vacuum Cell), QVac line from VacTech Corporation

Quantum isolated universe. Inside of the cell violates conventional theoretical physics, but emits massive amounts of power, presumably from a much higher energy zero-point field than our universe. When the cell is breached, the micro-verse evaporates through another dimensional layer. Because the cell isolates it from any possible scanning, these universes are impossible to study in detail, and the process for creating them involves targeting a supercollider at the inside of the cell, an insanely fast capping mechanism, and a huge amount of luck. QVCs are low yield products, and as such are expensive.