[Paleopsych] Flywheels for energy storage
Steve Hovland
shovland at mindspring.com
Fri Aug 19 14:34:05 UTC 2005
This is how to make an intermittent source
like sun and wind into a continuous source.
http://www.beaconpower.com/
A flywheel energy storage system draws electrical energy from a primary
source, such as the utility grid, and stores it in a high-density rotating
flywheel. The flywheel system is actually a kinetic, or mechanical battery,
spinning at very high speeds (>20,000 rpm) to store energy that is
instantly available when needed.
Upon power loss, the motor driving the flywheel acts as a generator. As the
flywheel continues to rotate, this generator supplies power to the customer
load. Performance is measured in energy units indicating the amount of
power available over a given period of time. Typical single-flywheel
systems, such as the Smart Energy 6 <SmartEnergy6kWh.htm> and Smart Energy
25 <SmartEnergy25kWh.htm>, are intended for standby power applications.
A more recent Beacon Power flywheel design proposes an integrated system of
10 higher-power (25 kWh) flywheels, interconnected in a matrix to provide
energy storage for utility-grade applications. The Smart Energy Matrix
<SmartEnergyMatrix.htm> is designed to deliver megawatts of power for
minutes, providing highly robust and responsive frequency and voltage
regulation capabilities for increased grid reliability.
Steve Hovland
www.stevehovland.net
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