Acquisition makes Convergent largest pure-playoperator of energy storage in North America
8 years and over 15 million operatinghours ahead of the competition
Modular architecture that allows you to choosethe power configuration that''s right for you
Beacon flywheel systems have faster ramp rates than traditional generation and correct frequency imbalances sooner with greater accuracy and efficiency.
Beacon flywheel storage provides reliable and cost-effective solutions to intermittency issues associated with renewable power.
Beacon flywheel storage increases the amount of wind and solar power that can be integrated and utilized, thereby reducing system fuel consumption.
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That is a large and hefty piece of equipment. I''m guessing it costs in the tens of thousands of dollars. The return on investment would take decades. They may need to find some cheaper material costs like using plastic for the structure and water for the weight. Or make a larger diameter to increase the capacity, but then transportation and production costs go up more. I would like to see this technology work but I wouldn''t buy it right now.
The great thing about writing a regular blog is that reader feedback sometimes introduces me to new products and systems. So it was last week when I wrote about a company developing power grid electrical storage systems using lithium-ion battery technology.
From a reader, I learned about another, very different approach for storing electricity to make the utility grid more stable and resilient: flywheels.
Our company has written in the past about flywheel electrical storage for use in data centers to provide instantaneous back-up power that can last for a few minutes until back-up generators can be started up. But I had not been aware of utility-scale projects that were in operation.
The idea with a flywheel for power storage is that a small amount of electricity is used to keep a heavy mass rotating at a very high speed — 10,000 revolutions per minute (rpm) or faster. Then when power interruptions happen or some extra power is needed to stabilize the grid, that flywheel generates power, gradually slowing down in the process.
Those of us who read Popular Science have been hearing about the potential of flywheel energy storage for decades; for me, it has been one of those technologies that has been perpetually “just a few years away from commercialization.”
The energy storage company Beacon Power, located in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts (near Lowell), has been a technology leader with utility-scale flywheel power storage since its founding in 1997. In September 2013 the company put online the first 4 megawatts (MW) of a planned 20 MW flywheel energy storage facility in Hazle Township, Pennsylvania. The full system should be completed in the second quarter of 2014.
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Beacon Power almost became another Solyndra story. (Solyndra was the solar panel manufacturer that went bankrupt after receiving a $535 million U.S. Department of Energy loan through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, giving the loan program a black eye and fanning the flames of right-wing opposition to renewable energy subsidies.) In 2010, Beacon Power received a $43 million loan from the same program, and then filed for bankruptcy in October 2011.
Beacon Power’s bankruptcy was, in part, the result of a change in federal regulations that delayed the requirement for grid operators to pay more for electricity from sources that could feed additional power into the grid very quickly — this affected Beacon Power’s cash flow. Fortunately, the private equity firm Rockland Capital stepped in and acquired Beacon Power and has now paid back most of the DOE loan.
The Pennsylvania flywheel energy storage facility can almost instantly (in less than one second) begin injecting significant amounts of electricity into the grid. This will help to stabilize the utility grid — the operation of which is a constant balancing act between supply and demand. Adding this capability — whether with a flywheel or a more conventional chemical battery — makes the grid less prone to blackouts and, thus, more resilient.
The flywheel system is modular, comprised of many of Beacon Power’s Smart Energy 25 flywheels, each of which can deliver up to 25 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity. When delivering power at a capacity of 100 kW, full discharge takes about 15 minutes. When providing 150 kW (heavier power draw), full discharge occurs in 5 minutes with only 12.5 kWh delivered.
The flywheel itself, according to the Beacon Power website, has a rotating carbon-fiber composite rim, levitated on magnetic bearings so that it operates in a near-frictionless, vacuum-sealed environment. It rotates at 16,000 rpm and is designed for a 20-year life with 100,000 full-discharge cycles.
According to Beacon Power, the company’s flywheel power storage system “corrects imbalances more than twice as efficiently as traditional generators while consuming no new fuel, producing no emissions, and using no hazardous materials or water.”
Beacon Power’s flywheel system is one example of a variety of new energy storage technologies that promise to make tomorrow’s electric grid quite different from what we have today. As a higher percentage of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, feed power into the grid, it will become more and more important to have systems like this that can store power when there is excess available and deliver that power when needed.
Alex is founder of BuildingGreen, Inc. and executive editor of Environmental Building News. In 2012 he founded the Resilient Design Institute. To keep up with Alex’s latest articles and musings, you can sign up for his Twitter feed.
This would be great for anThis would be great for an off-grid system. Somehow I don''t think that one of these units costs < $10,000 or so though :) Apparently the facility in PA doesn't trust that they won't simply explode, so they've build up dirt walls around each unit..?
Chris: these are fairly largeChris: these are fairly large units encasing somewhat large power i don''t believe it costs alot to burry them and it surely adds alot of safety factor to the installation ( vandal and security wise )
This kind of design should scale well to lower power output and storage, could be a very green product to use in a relatively sunny environment to store daylight power for later use. Any words on efficiency and standby losses ?
About Beacon power flywheels
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