In order to store large amounts of energy flywheels have to spin at very high rpms. Makes for quite a show when they fail.
This system buries it underground so it’s contained if it flies apart, which seems like a smart move.
My first thought when they mentioned concrete - It’s a lousy material in tension. I see they have it reinforced, but when she goes, wow. Glad it’s underground.
Exactamundo!
That’s exactly why they have huge containment systems are often put underground.
In the mid 1990s, my R&D team worked on a flywheel energy storage project to power electric lights at major intersections. It would keep the lights on during power failures. The flywheel was buried near the highway intersection. We built some prototypes, but I left the company and don’t know what happened to the tech.
—” Makes for quite a show when they fail”
Notice the underground containment shown at the link.
I know few specific details, but one 1.5 megawatts sized gyroscope-backup power supply for a server farm had a service life of only five minutes. Then it needs to be recharged.
The gyros had to mounted inside reinforced concrete cylinders inside vacuum bottles underground. If (when) the wheels shred, the flying parts get trapped by the steel and concrete.
Sounds like these have a one hour power life between clouds or ice or snow.