Small applications connected in parallel can be used instead of large flywheel energy storage systems. There are losses due to air friction and bearing in flywheel energy storage systems. These cause energy losses with self-discharge in the flywheel energy storage system.
Flywheel energy storage system is an energy storage device that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy, breaking through the limitations of chemical batteries and achieving energy storage through physical methods .
Energy storage in a flywheel is realized by a spinning mass in the form of kinetic energy [144,145]. The flywheel energy storage system is mainly composed of a rotor, magnetic bearing systems, a vacuum housing and an electric machine [142,145].
Flywheel energy storage systems have a long working life if periodically maintained (>25 years). The cycle numbers of flywheel energy storage systems are very high (>100,000). In addition, this storage technology is not affected by weather and climatic conditions . One of the most important issues of flywheel energy storage systems is safety.
The energy storage facility provided by flywheels are suitable for continuous charging and discharging options without any dependency on the age of the storage system. The important aspect to be taken note of in this regard is the ability of FES to provide inertia and frequency regulation .
However, the static loss of the flywheel is large, the relative energy density is low and the technology is not mature, which limits the application of the flywheel. Figure 16.6. Operation principle of flywheel energy storage technology.
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Compared with other ways to store electricity, FES systems have long lifetimes (lasting decades with little or no maintenance; full-cycle lifetimes quoted for flywheels range from in excess of 10, up to 10, cycles of use), high specific energy (100–130 W·h/kg, or 360–500 kJ/kg), and large maximum power output. The energy efficiency (ratio of energy out per energy in) of flywheels, also known as round-trip efficiency, can be as high as 90%. Typical capacities range from 3 kWh to 1…