What Are the Risks & Disadvantages of Flywheels

Not extremely well known, flywheels maintain their position as an alternative energy source to batteries. While traditional batteries are chemical based, flywheels store their energy in the form of kinetic energy. Although an extremely old invention, flywheels have yet to find their role as a conventional, commonly used tool for energy storage. Their main use is in the crankshafts of some vehicles. Understanding the risks and disadvantages of flywheels helps people to learn why flywheels haven't become widely used in society.

Specific Energy

• A disadvantage of flywheels is they have a low specific energy as opposed to chemical batteries. Specific energy is the energy possessed per mass unit---an intensive property vs. common "energy," an extensive property. Specific energy generally applies to the strength of movement and "field strength" of an object.

Damage

• Since flywheels rotate around an axis that serves to store kinetic energy, they can pose a danger if not well built. If there is not a controlled release of energy, it can break and release the rotating mass, being very dangerous to anyone n the vicinity.

Development

• One of the main disadvantages of flywheels is the technology is advancing very slowly. Since chemical batteries are common in society and new battery technologies receive funding on a consistent basis, flywheel development is very sparse. Flywheel technology doesn't receive funding, and does not get much attention in the world of research and development.

Cost

• Flywheels have a tremendous disadvantage because their development is much more expensive than traditional battery forms of energy technology.

Weight

• Flywheels used for combustion engines pose an added problem. When mounted on the crankshaft, flywheels maintain the angular velocity of the crankshaft, but are extremely heavy. This makes them prone to breakage if not mounted correctly.