The present disclosure provides flywheel systems for generating and/or storing energy, and methods of using same.

The invention is a motor/generator that includes a motor/generator housing that encloses a rotor assembly, which rotates a shaft, and a stator assembly that remains stationary, and where the motor/generator is inside a vacuum chamber, which, during normal operation, is evacuated of gas and operates at a lower air pressure than atomospheric air pressure, and a cylindrical vacuum barrier between the rotor assembly and the stator assembly that together with the motor generator housing partitions the motor/generator into an interior rotor volume and an exterior stator volume, enabling the rotor volume and stator volume to operate at different atmospheric pressures.

This application is directed to methods and systems for providing electrical charge to a vehicle. The system can include a generator configured to generate an electrical output based on a mechanical input responsive to a rotation of a driven mass. The system can include an ultracapacitor module configured to receive energy from the generator. The system can include an energy retainer configured to receive energy from the ultracapacitor module or from the generator. The system can include a traction motor configured to receive energy from the energy retainer or from the ultracapacitor module.

Disclosed is a flywheel intended for energy storage, including a cylindrical mass body including a main material with compression resistance of at least 25 MPa, such as concrete, the body being surrounded on at least one portion of the outer surface thereof with fibers, the material that makes up the fibers having a tensile strength of at least 100 Mpa. The tension of winding the fibers around the body leads to the compression of the main material, and the tension applied to the fibers is such that the stress exerted on the material of the mass body is at least equal to half of the maximum acceptable stress, the maximum stress being lower than the compression yield strength of the material that makes up the mass body, the material of the latter thus being pre-stressed.

A flywheel assembly 10 comprising: at least one flywheel mass support 14, the or each said support having a shaft 19 that extends along a rotational axis 18 about which the support 14 can rotate in use, the or each said support 14 comprising a plurality of openings 24 that are each offset from said rotational axis 18, a flywheel mass 12 comprising a plurality of openings 16 that are each arranged to align with a corresponding opening in said support; and means 23 for coupling said flywheel mass 12 to the or each said support 14 so that the mass 12 can rotate with the or each support 14 in use, said coupling means 23 being configured to extend through the aligned openings in the or each support 14 and said flywheel mass 12; wherein said flywheel mass 12 comprises a plurality of generally planar flywheel mass elements sandwiched together to form a stack of elements, each said element including a plurality of openings 16 that align with the openings 24 in the or each said support 14 and with openings in neighbouring elements in said stack, said flywheel elements being coupled together and aligned with one another to form said flywheel mass solely by means of the coupling means 23 that extends through the aligned openings in said elements and the or each said support 14.

The disclosed device is for storing energy by means of a flywheel. The device comprises a solid rotor having embedded permanent magnets along its outer surface, with flywheels attached at each end. The rotor is suspended by magnetic bearings within a housing. The housing comprises electromagnets that are sequentially charged in order to cause the rotor to spin due to the interaction of the electromagnets with the facing permanent magnets on the rotor. The spinning of the rotor causes the flywheels to spin, which results in the storage of rotational energy. The flywheels, which include magnets, turn through sets of coils on either end of the housing, thereby operating as an electrical generator to convert the flywheel rotational energy into electrical energy output from the device.

An electromechanical flywheel machine includes a flywheel mass and a motor-generator having a rotor rotatable about a stationary inner stator having stator windings.

Disclosed is a dual motor unit for a flywheel mass accumulator, with at least two electric machines coupled to a common rotary body; wherein the electric machines have different power characteristics and the dual motor unit is adapted to provide a total operating power in an operating speed range (Ω) by an interaction of the electric machines. The power characteristic (P.sub.max) is non-linearly dependent on a rotational speed (ω) of the common rotary body.

An integrated flywheel control apparatus for applying resisting force or driving force to a flywheel includes a resistance applying device mounted to an outer frame of a stator holder frame and arranged in a receiving space of a flywheel. A power generation/drive device is positioned on an inner frame of the stator holder frame. When the flywheel is acted upon by an external force to rotate, the power generation/drive device is caused by the rotation of the flywheel to rotate and a plurality of power actuating windings of the power generation/drive device generate electrical energy. The electrical energy is supplied to resistance applying device to apply a resisting force to the flywheel. When the power actuating windings of the power generation/drive device is supplied with an external electrical power, the power actuating windings are electromagnetically coupled to a plurality of magnets circumferentially arranged on an axle portion of the wheel to drive the flywheel to rotate.

This disclosure describes novel hybrid energy storage systems for providing short-term and long-term storage and delivery of electricity generated by any energy source including renewable energy sources such as solar energy and wind energy. The hybrid energy storage systems described herein have a higher overall real-world efficiency than energy storage systems currently available.