Lannon Batteries

The most widespread energy source in the Janyan galaxy, Lannon batteries are charged and manufactured on Lannon, a planet with high winds. Three major companies on the planet produce batteries, with roughly a dozen others. The wealthiest company is Laurel Enterprises, which owns over thirty percent of Lannon’s windmills.

Manufacturing process

Lannon batteries are manufactured in stages, beginning with the stage in factories, where their internal processes are wired together and the outer casing is molded and pieced together. The unpowered batteries are then stored until the company ships them to a windmill for charging. Once at the windmills, the batteries are connected to ports, usually underground. As the windmills are turned by Lannon’s high winds, power is transferred to the batteries and they begin to charge.

Once the batteries are charged, they are sent to separate factories to be packaged for transport offworld or across the planet. Batteries sent back to Lannon for recharging are first stripped of their labels before being shipped to a windmill for the last two stages of the process. The largest batteries can be recharged about 500 times before they need to be sent back and reprocessed.

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The reprocessing stage occurs once a battery can no longer hold the listed amount of charge. These batteries are removed of all labels and wiring before the metal is stripped down and melted back into factory supplies. Wiring is disposed of and usable materials are recycled back into the original process.

History

The first design of Lannon batteries was made somewhere around 258 BPC by a Lannon engineer named Karloff Eizenloeur. For years, buildings on Lannon had been powered by

"So which company is the original? Which one was founded by Eizenloeur?"
"None of them. Eizenloeur simply sold his batteries to whoever wanted them. His son sold them offworld and his son's descendants started the companies. Karloff Eizenloeur designed batteries, not companies."

windmills located just miles away, but the wires and cables that brought power to the buildings often snapped, detached, or were knocked down. Karloff sought a wireless solution and designed a battery that could be connected to a windmill, charged with energy, and then shipped to a location to be used. His first design was functional but only lasted a few days before requiring more charge, and if a battery was reused too many times, it lost its storage capacity.

Several other designs were created and implemented before Karloff's final design was finished in 253 BPC. The simple metal device could be sized down to power small transports or computer systems and sized up to power starships and buildings. At first, the batteries were only used on Lannon or Lannon-associated ships, but Karloff's son, who took over the business when his father died, decided to start selling them galactically.

As the batteries spread across the galaxy, their usefulness only increased. Major starship manufacturers requested large batteries to be installed in their newest designs to power the electronics and minor systems. Companies on Zenricho and other cityscape planets wanted them to power online databases. By the time of the Polaris Collapse, Lannon batteries were everywhere, and by 100 APC, Lannon had shifted from a residential planet to one covered with windmills that charged batteries and factories that produced them.
Since 650 APC, many companies have arisen on Lannon that produce and sell batteries. By 995 APC, most companies have merged or fallen apart. There are currently around fifteen companies, including the three major

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ones: Charger, Arsei Batteries, and Laurel Enterprises. These three dominate the field of battery production, each owning huge amounts of land and dealing with shipyards and corporations, while smaller producers sell on a more personal basis to individuals or stores.

Significance

Although Lannon batteries are not the only power source used in the galaxy, they are the most common. Lannon batteries can be recharged easily and provide renewable energy. Battery producers have perfected their system of charging, recharging, and reprocessing all of the batteries they manufacture.

Item type

Power Storage / Generator

Creation Date

Created in 253 BPC

Rarity

Common

Weight

From 2lb to 1000lb

Dimensions

Smallest: 2x2x3in; Largest: 4x4x5ft

Base Price

From 50 silver to 500 gold

Raw materials & Components

The first designs of Lannon batteries used nickel, cobalt, and cadmium. Current versions still use those materials but also include copper and mercury.