A Critical Analysis of Flywheel Energy Storage Systems' Technologies, Applications, and Prospects

The penetration of renewable energy sources (RES) is going to increase day by day in the existing grid to fulfill the increased demand. According to Central Electricity Authority CEA report, India is going to install 361 GW by 2030 in the existing grid. Due to the stochastic nature of renewables (solar and wind), smoothing them is a challenge. For smoothening the renewable, an energy storage system (ESS) is required. Flywheel energy storage (FES) has been proven to be a good alternative to standard EES (such as batteries, thermal storage, etc.) for smoothing the use of renewable energy sources because of its extended energy storage capacity, high specific energy, and high maximum power output. This paper represents an overview of the present and future status of RES in India, a brief discussion of different ESS, FES, and various applications of FES in power systems. Challenges and future scope of FES for smoothing renewables are also discussed.