Kinmo Flywheel Energy Storage
Electricity generated from wind turbines, solar panels and other sources must be stored. Currently this is done by battery technology, usually lead and gel cell batteries. These are toxic, inefficient and have virtually no load-leveling capacity. They also present a waste management problem.
A flywheel energy storage system is a mechanical device that converts electrical energy into mechanical motion (kinetic energy) and, when necessary, the potential energy from that mass in motion can be converted back into electrical energy. In other words, it acts like a battery but with many advantages and benefits when compared to a battery. This simplified technical brief elaborates on many of these features and benefits and details how NuEnergy’s “KINMO” (kinetic motion) Flywheel can replace the use of batteries in numerous cost effective applications.
NuEnergy’s flywheel energy storage system, “KINMO”, is dependent on a rotating mass (wheel) to “store” energy. Our “KINMO” system may be competitive against chemical batteries in transportation applications or improving the transmission quality of power, which may involve many charge-discharge cycles. See the cutaway picture below for simple design details of a flywheel, which is similar to the one which NuEnergy’s predecessor, Hytech Industries Corp., supplied to MTA New York City Transit with Urenco Power Technologies.
Trains, monorails, and high speed transit vehicles generate a tremendous amount of energy, which is currently wasted. NuEnergy can recapture with its dynamic braking system a significant portion of this wasted energy and use it to produce the motion of the KINMO Flywheel.
Our flywheel design has been repeatedly proven and was used by the London Underground (MTA), Hong Kong Metro, etc. A few years ago, while working with Urenco Power Technologies, six of their units were installed at the maintenance facility for MTA/NYCTA in Coney Island. The Flywheels were being used for power leveling between the tracks.
We have been testing our KINMO Flywheel to be used as a regenerative braking storage system under a D.O.E./S.B.I.R. Grant. We recently completed Phase I of this system for providing Energy Transfer and propulsion to a light rail (overhead suspended monorail system) from a renewable energy source (PV or Wind) and charging Ultra-Capacitors.
The NuEnergy “KINMO” system is a subsystem, which will capture regenerative braking kinetic energy and integrate this energy with the sustainable energy input from PV and or Wind Turbines. Our electronic package for the subsystem and the complete Overhead Suspended Light Rail System is being produced with our colleagues from the University of Central Florida’s “Center for Advanced Transportation Systems Simulation.” UCF is in the process of securing a grant from NSF for installation of this people mover on the school’s campus grounds. Dr. Guevara is the co-patent holder for this Sky Train propulsion system.
KINMO (KINETIC MOTION) Flywheel Storage System
One of our applications is developing the “KINMO” energy storage system with a view to helping the world’s population without access to an electricity grid. Solar power, wind power, hydropower, or diesel generators can supply these people, living in remote areas, with some electricity for refrigerating food and medicine and for communication. However, renewable sources alone cannot ensure a continuous supply of electricity. Storage is also needed. Lead-acid, Gel Cell, and lithium batteries have been normally used to supply that storage. The “KINMO” system is to be priced competitively with these renewable remote energy storage systems and it may certainly provide a more environmentally benign solution than the use of such batteries.
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