Innovation in flywheel energy storage system technology

The performance of the flywheel body material directly determines the energy density and safety of the flywheel energy storage system. Traditional metal materials face greater centrifugal force challenges when rotating at high speeds due to their high density, which limits the improvement of energy storage capacity. In recent years, high-performance materials represented by carbon fiber composites have been widely used in the field of flywheel energy storage. Carbon nanotube composites (CNT) show even better performance, with a specific strength of up to 48,000kN・m・kg⁻¹, which is more than 300 times that of high-carbon steel. Through electron radiation cross-linking technology, the strength of multi-walled carbon nanotubes can be increased to 60GPa. Flywheels made of such materials are expected to have an energy density of more than 100Wh/kg at the same mass, which is several times higher than that of traditional steel flywheels.

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Flywheel energy storage system technology has achieved remarkable innovative results in material innovation, structural design, control strategy and system integration, and has shown broad application prospects in power systems, industry, transportation, aerospace and other fields. However, the technology still faces some challenges, such as further reducing costs, improving energy density, and strengthening the formulation of technical standards and specifications. In the future, with the continuous increase in scientific research investment, the in-depth promotion of multidisciplinary cross-integration and the continuous expansion of the industry scale, flywheel energy storage system technology is expected to achieve greater breakthroughs, play a more critical role in the global energy transformation process, and become one of the core technologies to support the construction of new power systems and promote sustainable energy development.

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Innovative energy solutions.

Flywheel energy storage occupies a unique position in the energy storage technology system with its advantages of "high power, fast response and long life". Its innovative development in materials, control, integration, etc. is driving the technology to penetrate from high-end market segments to large-scale applications, especially in new power systems and low-carbon transportation.

Technical advantages of flywheel energy storage system technology

Outstanding power density: up to 10-20kW/kg, response time < 10ms, suitable for short-term high-power scenarios such as grid frequency modulation and UPS emergency power supply (comparison: lithium battery power density is about 1-3kW/kg).

Ultra-long cycle life: the theoretical number of cycles exceeds 100,000 times (more than 20 years), almost no attenuation (comparison: lithium battery cycle life is about 2000-5000 times), and the cost of the whole life cycle is low.

Environmental friendliness: no heavy metals or chemical electrolytes are used, there is no risk of combustion and explosion, and materials (such as carbon fiber and metal) can be recycled and reused after retirement.

Efficiency advantage: energy conversion efficiency reaches 90%-95% (comparison: pumped storage is about 70%-80%, lithium battery is about 85%-90%), especially suitable for frequent charging and discharging scenarios.