SBIR Phase I: Safe, Affordable and Green Energy Storage

小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是提供一种安全、负担得起和环境可持续的储能解决方案。该项目提供了一种非化学、无危险的替代能源储存，以加速电网现代化和无污染的可再生能源整合。该项目的核心技术是一种与锂离子（Li-ion）化学电池相比具有成本竞争力的设计，但在30多年的使用寿命内，每次充电的成本要比锂离子电池低得多。这种提出的方法具有动力（飞轮）储能的长期优势（低使用寿命成本、高功率吞吐量、高每日充电周期、无需更换电池、24/7全天候运行的潜力），并且对于部署的固定电网运行来说，成本低廉且更安全。由于太阳能和风能可再生能源与传统的碳基发电成本相当，可负担得起的飞轮储能对于存储和分配间歇性可再生能源至关重要，从而能够取代碳基发电。SBIR一期项目提出了一项全面的测试工作，以验证该项目用于下一代储能系统的3D飞轮复合结构的技术可行性。提出的研究和测试目标是证明改进的3D飞轮性能，并预计在相同的储能能力下，将传统飞轮重量减少9倍。测试方法包括动态平衡、扭矩传递确定、临界失效/疲劳建模、评估TRL-5运行真空环境下磁耦合商业外部电机/发电机的动力传输和性能。这项工作还将包括基于测试过的3D飞轮性能的储能市场分析，以进入商业市场。预期的结果包括3D飞轮结构技术的表征，演示商业子系统的操作以及开发完整原型的准备情况。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to provide a safe, affordable and environmentally sustainable energy storage solution. This project offers a non-chemical, non-hazardous alternative energy storage to accelerate grid modernization and non-polluting renewable power integration. The project’s core technology is a design that is cost competitive with deployed Lithium ion (Li-ion) chemical batteries, but would be significantly less expensive per charge than Li-ion over its 30+ year service life. This proposed approach allows the long-term advantages of kinetic (flywheel) energy storage (low service life costs, high power throughput, high daily charge cycles, no battery replacements, potential for 24/7 operations) and makes it affordable and safer for deployed stationary grid operations. With solar and wind renewables on par with traditional carbon-based power generation costs, affordable flywheel energy storage is vital to store and dispense intermittent renewable power, enabling the replacement of carbon-based power generation.This SBIR Phase I project proposes a comprehensive testing effort to verify the technical feasibility of the project’s 3D flywheel composite structure for next-generation energy storage systems. The proposed research and testing objectives are to demonstrate the improved 3D flywheel performance and projected 9x reduction in the traditional flywheel weight for the same energy storage capability. Testing methodology includes dynamic balancing, torque transmission determination, critical failure/fatigue modeling, assessing magnetically coupled commercial external motor/generator power transmission and performance in a TRL-5 operational vacuum environment. The effort will also include energy storage market analysis for commercial market entry based on tested 3D flywheel performance. Anticipated results include the characterization of the 3D flywheel structural technology, demonstrated commercial subsystem operations and readiness to develop a full prototype.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.