STEEM power is locked away, if you power down it takes 13 weeks to get the full amount out. So say if you have 130 STEEM power and start a power down, first week you get 10 Steem, 2nd week you get 10 STEEM etc. It is a slow release to prevent a market crash if everyone withdrew their STEEM at once and sold it on the exchanges. It also acts as a security feature in case someone has your keys and tries to steal all your funds. At least you would have time to change your keys when you notice a powerdown or a portion of your wallet is stolen.
STEEM power is locked away, if you power down it takes 13 weeks to get the full amount out. So say if you have 130 STEEM power and start a power down, first week you get 10 Steem, 2nd week you get 10 STEEM etc. It is a slow release to prevent a market crash if everyone withdrew their STEEM at once and sold it on the exchanges. It also acts as a security feature in case someone has your keys and tries to steal all your funds. At least you would have time to change your keys when you notice a powerdown or a portion of your wallet is stolen.