What type of energy does the flywheel store?

A flywheel primarily stores kinetic energy. This type of energy is associated with the motion of the flywheel itself as it spins. When energy is supplied to the flywheel, it accelerates, and in doing so, it converts that supplied energy into kinetic energy—the energy of motion. As a result, flywheels are particularly effective for applications that require energy to be stored and released quickly, such as in energy recovery systems or stabilizing power supplies.

The design and operation of flywheels focus on maintaining high rotational speeds to maximize the amount of kinetic energy stored. This ability makes flywheels valuable in various industries for energy management and power quality applications. In contrast, potential energy is related to an object's position in a gravitational field or its stored energy in a compressed spring, which does not apply to flywheel functionality. Likewise, chemical energy pertains to energy stored in chemical bonds and is not relevant in this context. Mechanical energy is a broader category that encompasses both kinetic and potential energies but is not specific enough to pinpoint the type of energy stored in flywheels.