Smooth operators

12 July 2023

Some fascinating new applications are being found for the flywheel power storage system developed by PUNCH Flybrid, which usually stores surplus energy from a generator and releases it when heavier demand is detected. 

However, it is also being used in some situations running off mains supplies. 

“Some sites may have a mains connection but find they are unable to run all of their cranes or other power-hungry machinery at the same time,” said Tobias Knichel, MD of the business. 

“Often, however, this is due to peaks of demand for short periods. We can add a flywheel to the mains connection and programme it so that if demand exceeds a certain level, it supplies energy to the system. 

“This means they can run more equipment without having to use a generator, or having the expense of upgrading the power supply capability.” 

One project where a Flybrid has been used in this way is an HS2 site in London. 

Tobias says that wind turbine operators are also benefiting from using the product, which was derived from technology used in Formula 1. 

“The flywheel is best suited to applications with a very dynamic power demand. In motor sport a racing car can be driven at full throttle acceleration one moment, but then the driver hits the brakes as hard as they can. 

“You might not regard a wind turbine as dynamic. The blades spin at a basically constant speed but the power actually fluctuates because the win is not steady-state. The torque varies as the wind gusts around, so our system is connected before the power is sent to the grid and the flywheel smooths it out to give as constant an output as possible.”