Cache power for stand-alone power systems: Flywheel-based AC power solution

Stand-alone power systems (SPS) are attracting more and more interest with the global movement toward the distributed generation. Due to their disconnection to the power grid, they are suffering from poor load following capability under load variations. In order to solve this problem, this paper provides an AC power solution based on flywheel energy storage. The proposed flywheel system is characterized of the following two aspects: 1) AC generation, therefore no power converter is needed; 2) automatic power compensation responding to the frequency/voltage change of the power supply. These characteristics make the proposed flywheel system suitable for stabilizing the stand-alone power system against the load variations. Some simulation and experimental results are given to prove the validity and effectiveness of the proposed solution.