
The Mechanical Battery - nickb
http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=909
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Andys
The datacentre where my servers are hosted uses giant flywheels to power the
whole building for the 20 seconds until the diesel generators are ready to
take the load, in the event of a power outage.

I didn't know why until I read this article - they are more energy-dense than
lead acid batteries!

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angryearthling
flywheels aren't the only type of mechanical battery.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_accumulator>

i've often wondered how much power a simple 2-3 stone weight could generate
for powering small appliances. kinda like the dynamo powered torches and
radios but for permanent installations.

