If you only need occasional & pulse operation - how about charging a
capacitor using a charge pump circuit & then discharging it  into the
solenoid
for the release.
This should be a minimal current drain solution while providing a healthy
current pulse when required.

Richard P

> I'd like to use a PIC to control access to a small spring loaded
> drawer of some sort.  I'm no mechanical engineer, so my vision of this
> may be way off.  But the way I see it, there is a latch holding this
> drawer closed.  Then, the PIC will fire a solenoid (or something) to
> release the latch.  The springs push the drawer out.  When done, the
> user pushes the drawer closed, and it re-latches until next time.

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