Energy Storage Advances

[Emett]

I see Beacon Power's flyewheel system as a great idea.  Looks like a great business plan too.  To be used to increase the electrical efficiency of the someday Smart-grid through power regulation and many other uses, including hopefully someday storing some of our Green and Sustainable Energy.

Pictured is the Smart Energy 25 Flywheel.  Large and powerful.

 

I wish there were units small enough for cars or bikes, and I wonder if they could engineer a way to mechanically spin the unit up.   All generators, no matter their orginal source of the energy, convert mechinical energy to electric (even Piezoelectric generators, think about it, tell me if I'm wrong...), then this unit converts it back to mechinal energy until some electricity is needed, and then it's transformed again.  Reducing as many conversions as possible is the key to energy effeinency.  You wouldn't pedal a bike to charge up the battery in an electric lawn mower, you'd just use a mechanical push mower.   

 

But that doesn't lessen how really cool it is, or how important for the Smart Grid., I think the total potential of these and related systems is off the chart.  Batteries are pretty hard hitting on the environment and places in world with the basic resources (Lithium) are getting dramatic.  Nor is chemical energy storage nearly as sexy... mechanical gets the work done, and it should be cool and quiet...

 

-e

[Emett]

Mag-Lev and Vacuum sealed Carbon-fiber strenghened flywheels! Did you see this yet? Very low loss. This mechanical "battery", or kinetic energy storage device is not full until the maximum safe RPM is reached, 16,000 RPM, at which time it could discharge the power, "25 kWh of extractable energy," as quoted from the page linked above, as electricity.