Feasibility assessment of a novel ultra-efficient flywheel technology, CamFly, for energy storage applications

人们对飞轮储能系统（FESS）的各种应用越来越感兴趣。可再生能源可以从FESS中受益，以匹配电网的供需，从而减少对燃气/石油涡轮机峰值发电的依赖。此外，大型工业不间断电源（UPS）可以受益于FESS技术而不是电池，以消除对铅、有毒气体和电解质等危险物质的密封和处置的需要。然而，FESS市场增长的主要障碍是其相对较高的资本和运维成本。剑桥大学对飞轮储能系统进行了十多年的一流研究，最近在Camvertec Ltd开发了一种低成本、可靠的飞轮储能技术CamFly，具有诱人的性能和广阔的开发前景。CamFly创新的关键在于其无轴承和无泵操作，以及低成本的电机/发电机（MGen）驱动器及其相关的小尺寸功率转换器。将于2020年实施的效率和环境立法将进一步加强FESS市场的增长，这将要求储能制造商寻求提高能源效率和更环保的技术。诸如电容器和抽水蓄能等低效率技术，以及化学电池等破坏环境的技术，将需要被取代。CamFly技术是利用这种市场调整的理想选择。

There has been a growing interest in Flywheel Energy Storage Systems (FESS) for various applications. The renewable sources can benefit from FESS to match the supply to demand on a power grid and hence reducing the reliance on gas/oil turbine peak power generation. Furthermore, large industrial uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) can benefit from FESS technologies instead of batteries in order to eliminate the need for containment and disposal of hazardous materials such as lead, toxic gases and electrolytes. However, the main barriers to the growth of FESS market are their relatively high capital and O&M costs.More than a decade first-class research on Flywheel energy storage systems at Cambridge University and more recently at Camvertec Ltd has developed a low-cost and reliable flywheel energy storage technology, CamFly, with attractive performance and promising exploitation prospects. The key aspects of CamFly innovation are its bearing-free and pump-free operation, as well as the low-cost Motor/Generator (MGen) Drive and its associated fractional-size power converter.The FESS market growth will be further strengthen by efficiency and environmental legislation due to be implemented in 2020, which will require energy storage manufacturers to seek improvements in energy efficiency and more eco-friendly technologies. Low-efficient technologies such as Capacitors and Pumped storage, as well as environmentally damaging technologies such as chemical batteries, will be required to be replaced. CamFly technology is ideally placed to take advantage of this market realignment.