A typical system consists of a flywheel supported by connected to a . The flywheel and sometimes motor–generator may be enclosed in a to reduce friction and energy loss. First-generation flywheel energy-storage systems use a large flywheel rotating on mechanical bearings. Newer systems use composite To improve bearing life and reliability, a new flywheel bearing system was designed. The key was the use of hybrid bearings including an axial permanent magnetic bearing (PMB), a lower end ball bearing and an upper end active magnetic bearing (AMB).
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