How much does a flywheel energy storage system cost?

The amortized capital costs are $130.26 and $92.01/kW-year for composite and steel rotor FESSs, respectively. The corresponding LCOSs are $189.94 and $146.41/MWh, respectively. Table 4. Cost summary for 20 MW/5MWh flywheel energy storage systems.

Could flywheels be the future of energy storage?

Flywheels, one of the earliest forms of energy storage, could play a significant role in the transformation of the electrical power system into one that is fully sustainable yet low cost.

Why are composite rotor flywheel energy storage systems more expensive?

The differences in the TIC of the two systems are due to differences in rotor and bearing costs. The composite rotor flywheel energy storage system costs more than the steel rotor flywheel energy storage system because composite materials are still in the research and development stage and material and manufacturing costs are high.

What makes flywheel energy storage systems competitive?

Flywheel Energy Storage Systems (FESSs) are still competitive for applications that need frequent charge/discharge at a large number of cycles. Flywheels also have the least environmental impact amongst the three technologies, since it contains no chemicals.

Does a flywheel storage system need a bottom-up research?

However, almost no bottom-up research has been done, i.e., research that considers the technical parameters to size the components of a flywheel storage system, estimate cost parameters based on the design, and provide a probable distribution of the total investment cost and levelized cost of storage.

What are the potential applications of flywheel technology?

Flywheel technology has potential applications in energy harvesting, hybrid energy systems, and secondary functionalities apart from energy storage. Additionally, there are opportunities for new applications in these areas.