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Another cool energy storage technique is using subterranean flywheels. They'd probably require less maintenance than other similar energy storage mechanisms.
My Dad, (85 years old), recently posted an idea about using flywheels to store electricity -- it would give him a real kick if he knew people from here were taking a look at it: http://aoi.com.au/devices/KPW/
Generally I don't like this as an idea given the likelihood of failure of metals after a certain number of stress cycles (why planes have a lifespan)
Having said that, you still need to do maintenance just like you do on a wooden house or a wheeled cart or anything that might fail dangerously. Wood rots over time!
360 Wh for 18 cubic meters? Is this a joke? That is indeed the volume of a small room. You need nearly 40 of them, the volume of a large house, to give the equivalent energy storage of one 13.5 kWh Tesla Powerwall.
360 Wh for 18 cubic meters? Is this a joke? That is indeed the volume of a small room. You need nearly 40 of them, the volume of a large house, to give the equivalent energy storage of one 13.5 kWh Tesla Powerwall.
Energy density is only one factor. Cost per kWh is more important for people with plenty of land.
360 Wh for 18 cubic meters? Is this a joke? That is indeed the volume of a small room. You need nearly 40 of them, the volume of a large house, to give the equivalent energy storage of one 13.5 kWh Tesla Powerwall.
e.g. " By discharging the cylinders sequentially, the discharge time can be greatly increased, making the system comparable to lead-acid batteries in terms of energy density. Based on their experimental set-up, the researchers calculated the efficiencies for different starting pressures and numbers of cylinders. They found that 57 interconnected cylinders of 10 litre each, operating at 5 bar, could fulfill the job of four 24V batteries for 20 consecutive hours, all while having a surprisingly small footprint of just 0.6 m3.
Interestingly, the storage capacity is 410 Wh, which is comparable to the 360 Wh rural system noted earlier, which requires an 18 m3 storage vessel – that’s thirty times larger than the modular storage system. "
Also you missed the points of higher pressure vessels and using the residual heat/cold for things like hot water. Basically you trade off lower electricity efficiencies, space, and heat. Excess heat is not necessarily a bad thing in a domestic situation.
My take aways from this article:
- there are a few scenarios where stuff like this makes sense.
- there's lots of room for innovation and component improvement (e.g. more efficient dynamos are hinted at). This is currently a niche market and people have not put much R&D into this so far (i.e. I'd expect some improvements are entirely feasible).
- sequential vs. monolithic setups have different properties.
It boils down to cost / kwh and whether the requirements make sense. In an industrial setup, having a cheap but enormous vessel might not be the end of the world. In an apartment, you'd want maybe a smaller but higher pressure one.
360 Wh for 18 cubic meters? Is this a joke? That is indeed the volume of a small room. You need nearly 40 of them, the volume of a large house, to give the equivalent energy storage of one 13.5 kWh Tesla Powerwall.
http://www.fze.uni-saarland.de/AKE_Archiv/AKE2003H/AKE2003H_...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_energy_storage_proje...
This article seems to assume we'd convert the compressed air to electricity, but I could think of a bunch of applications that could use mechanical air power instead. Blenders, washers, dryers, dish washers, garage door openers. Basically anything that uses a motor.
Slightly of-topic: compressed air is the preferred source of power for the tools of Amish people, since their religion doesn't allow them to use electricity or internal combustion engines. https://www.cottagecraftworks.com/home-goods/self-sufficient...
Since you mentioned it, are you aware if other energy sources are allowed, such as waterwheels or windmills? Otherwise, how do you compress the air in the first place? How is the air compressor filled without electricity? I vaguely know some Mennonites. One guy has a cell phone and car transmission repair businesses, and computers, but he only uses those things for certain tasks and does not keep the technology in hi…
I believe some also had mechanical windmills, though none for electrical generation. The area wasn't suitable for waterwheels- if it was, I suspect they may have forgone the diesel engine.
This group also had single landline phone in the community, in someone's yard nearish the road. They used it for the rare cases where letters weren't practical- things like calling a doctor, etc.
Keep in mind, the limitations are based on how a thing affects your relationship with God and each other. Buttons on clothes, for example, weren't a thing; they were seen as a vanity (often too decorative). Instead, safety pins were the norm. As such, technology isn't banned for being technology, but as part of a larger category of things that draw you away from devotion- be it pride, vanity, etc.
Slightly of-topic: compressed air is the preferred source of power for the tools of Amish people, since their religion doesn't allow them to use electricity or internal combustion engines. https://www.cottagecraftworks.com/home-goods/self-sufficient...
I've been obsessed with technology that skirts religious laws for a while now. Whole house pneumatic systems to run $800 dollar non-electric blenders. Elevators that spend the sabbath atomically opening on each floor. Automatic timers to complete forbidden circuits. I would love to spend an hour or two with a rabbinical scholar. Does walking in front of a motion senor complete a circuit? Are you allowed to ask an AI…
You can also do something similar with the fridge where it turns off the ice maker and the auto door light.
I share in your fascination of these kinds of workarounds.