Energy storage has long been touted as the last piece of the energy puzzle, that it would enable off-grid and micro-grid independence and allow renewable energy to take a primary role in the energy mix. However, current storage systems are yet to take a firm and cost effective grip on the market. Despite the continued developments, batteries are still too expensive and don’t last quite long enough. Pumped hydro is cheap but not feasible for most locations. Thermal storage is promising but still too expensive or hard to scale. Compressed air is cheap and scalable but not yet efficient enough, although LightSail, a new company backed by Bill Gates among others, are making great strides. So while we wait for economies of scale and technological advancements in these energy production systems, the flywheel has been drawing some of the spotlight. Silicon Valley based inventor Bill Gray recently designed a new flywheel that would deliver distributed […]