2019 Volume 54 Issue 5 Pages 351-358
A flywheel energy storage system can stabilize the fluctuating output of a solar photovoltaic power generation system, and it can also improve the efficiency of a railway system. To increase storage capacity, Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI) has invented superconducting magnetic bearings with superconducting coils and bulk superconductors. That is, “total-superconducting magnetic bearing.” RTRI have started with basic research concerning “total-superconducting magnetic bearing,” and developed several prototypes of flywheel energy storage systems using “total-superconducting magnetic bearing.”At last, a demonstration machine for superconducting flywheel energy storage systems has been developed as a joint project of five enterprises subsidized by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization. This paper describes the background and outline of the research and development of this superconducting flywheel energy storage system.
