|
Mechanical storage of energy.
I am aware that there have been efforts to create cars that use some sort of flywheel system to store energy. But what about systems for use in homes or business?
I have to assume that there would be a great deal of loss due to mechanical inefficiency in the process of storing energy from a power source (wind, solar, etc).
I guess what I had in mind would be some sort of large weight that gets raised using solar power, then is used to drive a generator at night to power lights and such. I suppose one could also pump water, compress air, etc....
I'm just ranting here, but I know there are some folks with the engineering chops here that could illuminate the subject. Do tell.
|