Technology description and characterization of a low-cost flywheel for energy management in microgrids

• Main Authors: Navarro, G., Torres, J., Moreno-Torres, P., Blanco, M., Lafoz, M.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: Electrical machine; Energy storage; Flywheel; Flywheels; Generators; Microgrid; Microgrids; Prototypes; Reluctance motors; Renewable energies; Switched reluctance drive
• DOI: 10.1109/EPE.2015.7309324

This paper describes a modular, integrated and low-cost kinetic energy storage system (KESS), its electrical characterization as well as its future integration and operation in a microgrid within the scope of a project called MIRED-CON (Microgeneration with Renewable Sources and its control). This project aims to develop, using the power microgrid installed in the CEDER (Soria, Spain), an advanced metering and control infrastructure to improve the operation performance and efficiency of the distribution grid. Metallic flywheel and switched reluctance machine are chosen as energy storage device to provide stability to the microgrid, frequency regulation and power peak limitation, achieving a high performance in the grid operation. The KEES is integrated with a grid side converter (GSC) to connect to the A mains, providing extra functionality to the system. The combined operation of the proposed KESS together with photovoltaic (PV) panels, wind power generation and micro-pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) in the real application is analyzed by means of different simulations using MATLAB/Simulink software. Two operation modes are considered regarding the KESS: grid-connected mode (smoothing the power generation with renewables) and islanded mode (controlling the frequency and the voltage of the microgrid). Electrical characterization from experimental results are used by the central control unit to have information about the available power and energy in the device, thus improving the energy management in the real facility.