capacitor VS inductor

could anyone tell me which one is better in terms of energy storage? I know the basic principle. I want to know like the latest development of capacitor (such as what is the newest supercapacitor)...because it seems that there are many development about capacitor while the inductors are as same as many years ago....so can I say capacitor is more promising?

I hope someone could give me some relatively detailed answer...cheers!

Hi,

?
....relatively detailed answer....
Not that easy. It depends on what you want.

Supercapacitors: high capacity, but relatively high ESR, not that good for high frequency. Good as bulk storage capacitor.

Ceramic capacitors: getting cheaper and smaller, very low ESR, good for high frequency. Good for Transfering charge.

Inductors: decreasing core loss, increasing frequency, getting smaller and cheaper.
Easy to control, not that peak currents as with capacitors, simple step up and step down design.

Hope that helps you

Supercapacitors have the highest energy density capability, but suffer from a signifcant drawback: they are only available in low voltages, 2.5V/cell.

Therefore, to store 24 volts, you would have to put at least 10 in series. More in practice, to be able to survive overvoltage conditions.
When you have that many caps in series, you require a cell balancing circuit. Google: super capacitor balancing circuit.

Capacitors are inexpensive. They are labelled with value and voltage rating. They are easy to keep organized. I can store a large assortment of them, and find a value I need.

The operation of capacitors is easier for us to grasp, than inductors.

It is easier to use capacitors in circuits, with more likelihood the circuit will work even if we don't understand everything that is going on.

A capacitor' value can be measured with easier methods than an inductor's.

A similar assortment of inductors would be expensive. The collection I have in my junkbox was scavenged from various equipment. They have different shapes and sizes. Most are unlabelled. I would have to do some involved experimenting, to get a better idea what range of Henry value each one occupies.

Inductor operation is not so easy to grasp. It stores energy for just a brief moment, making its storage ability difficult to measure.

An inductor also has a way of producing high voltage spikes when we disconnect it from current. This creates a risk to devices.

Of course there are situations where an inductor is needed, and a capacitor cannot be made to fill the role.