Why does a flywheel keep spinning?

Thus the energy is stored and it can be retrieved at a later point of time. The flywheel keeps spinning at a particular speed as long as energy is not retrieved from it. The speed at which the flywheel rotates is reduced when energy is retrieved from it. The flywheel stops spinning once all the energy is drained from the system.

How does Flywheel energy storage work?

Flywheel energy storage (FES) works by accelerating a rotor (flywheel) to a very high speed and maintaining the energy in the system as rotational energy.

Why do flywheel energy storage systems have a high speed?

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. The high speeds have been achieved in the rotating body with the developments in the field of composite materials.

How kinetic energy is stored in a flywheel?

In this storage scheme, kinetic energy is stored by spinning a disk or rotor about its axis. Amount of energy stored in disk or rotor is directly proportional to the square of the wheel speed and rotor׳s mass moment of inertia. Whenever power is required, flywheel uses the rotor inertia and converts stored kinetic energy into electricity .

How a flywheel energy storage system is compared to a battery?

Flywheel energy storage can be compared to the battery in the same way. The flywheel energy storage system uses electrical energy and stores it in the form of kinetic energy. When energy is required from the flywheel energy storage system, the kinetic energy in the system is transformed into electric energy and is provided as output_._

How long does a flywheel energy storage system last?

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.