Commonly used flywheel energy storage in communication base stations

The flywheel as a means of energy storage has existed for thousands of years as one of the earliest mechanical energy storage systems. For example, the potter's wheel was used as a rotatory object using the flywheel effect to maintain its energy under its own inertia .

Vaal University of Technology, Vanderbijlpark, Sou th Africa. Abstract - This study gives a critical review of flywheel energy storage systems and their feasibility in various applications. Flywheel energy storage systems have gained increased popularity as a method of environmentally friendly energy storage.

Flywheel Systems are more suited for applications that require rapid energy bursts, such as power grid stabilization, frequency regulation, and backup power for critical infrastructure. Battery Storage is typically a better choice for long-term energy storage, such as for renewable energy systems (solar or wind) or home energy storage.

The most common applications of flywheels in electrical energy storage are for uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and power quality improvement [10, 11, 12]. For these applications, the electrochemical battery is highly mismatched and suffers from an insufficient cycle life, since the number of cycles per day is usually too high .

A flywheel stores energy that is based on the rotating mass principle. It is a mechanical storage device which emulates the storage of electrical energy by converting it to mechanical energy. The energy in a flywheel is stored in the form of rotational kinetic energy.

Thanks to the unique advantages such as long life cycles, high power density, minimal environmental impact, and high power quality such as fast response and voltage stability, the flywheel/kinetic energy storage system (FESS) is gaining attention recently.