The world's largest 30 MW flywheel-based energy storage system has been connected to the Chinese national grid.
This is reported by Energy Theory.
The project was implemented in Changzhi, Shanxi Province. This system uses 120 heavy flywheels that rotate on magnetic bearings in a vacuum. This design reduces energy losses due to friction.
Source: ess-news.com.
Flywheels are combined in groups of 10 units and form a "frequency control unit". The whole system consists of 12 such blocks. They are connected to the network with a voltage of 110 kV.
The system is partially underground for safety reasons, as the flywheels can have a lot of kinetic energy in the event of an accident.
This project was created as a pilot project with the support of the Shanxi Provincial Energy Engineering Institute and BC New Energy, which provided the technology. The investor was Shenzhen Energy Group. The implementation of the project cost $48 million.
This energy storage system improves the efficiency and stability of China's power system as it helps regulate the frequency of the grid. Experts say that this is a new stage in the development of renewable energy and energy storage in the country.
The other day, EcoPolitic talked about invention of South Korean scientists, which is able to charge a mobile phone with solar energy without the use of wires.
