Thats not the theoretical limit though. This is a physical device with moving parts. What if the bearing fails? What if the weight disintegrates due to a manufacturing fault?
Suddenly all that stored energy wants to go somewhere.
The flywheel will have breakers to prevent excessive inflow or outflow of power.
In a conventional plant, the spinning machinery is monitored by vibration sensors. If the vibration exceeds some threshold, a "Turbine Trip" occurs and the offending generator is disconnected from the grid. It then slowly spins down, dissipating energy via it's own friction.
Comments
Thats not the theoretical limit though. This is a physical device with moving parts. What if the bearing fails? What if the weight disintegrates due to a manufacturing fault?
Suddenly all that stored energy wants to go somewhere.
The flywheel will have breakers to prevent excessive inflow or outflow of power.
In a conventional plant, the spinning machinery is monitored by vibration sensors. If the vibration exceeds some threshold, a "Turbine Trip" occurs and the offending generator is disconnected from the grid. It then slowly spins down, dissipating energy via it's own friction.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbine_trip