

Flywheels for energy storage -- Pros and cons as compared to batteries - losvedir
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/8428

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losvedir
This is a fascinating article looking at the somewhat low-tech (at least in
its early incarnations) flywheel for energy storage, relative to batteries.

The charts are great for comparing the Specific Mass and Specific Power of
different devices. In particular, while traditional batteries can store more
energy in a smaller place, flywheels show promise when energy needs to be
quickly absorbed or deployed, for instance in breaking / accelerating.

I was awestruck by this statement:

"[A] flywheel with 1 kg and occupying about half litre could store the energy
needed to bring a car moving at 100 Km/h to a standstill."

The article also mentions some interesting tech involved in the newest
flywheels: interesting materials and magnets to reduce friction.

