ROUND AND ROUND: Electricity from renewable sources, like wind turbines, could be stored in new flywheel facilities.
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Beacon Power Corp. broke ground today on a 20-megawatt, energy-storage facility in southeastern New York.
The Rensselaer County project, slated for completion in 2011, would be the first in the nation to use a "flywheel" frequency regulation system to balance electricity supply and demand, according to the Tyngsboro, Mass.-based company. The $69 million facility would store electricity as kinetic energy in a matrix of massive discs when grid supply outstrips demand.
The ability to move power in and out of the system and maintain proper electricity frequency -- about 60 cycles per second -- will make the nation's electricity grid "smarter," Beacon President and CEO Bill Capp contended in a written statement.
"Our flywheel systems provide an essential grid-stabilizing service, and they do it faster and much more efficiently than today's conventional methods, most of which consume fossil fuel and produce harmful [carbon dioxide] greenhouse gas emissions," he added.
In July, the Department of Energy conditionally approved a $43 million federal loan for Beacon's project. DOE has not issued final approval of the loan guarantee but aims to do soon, a department spokeswoman said today.
In August, Beacon applied for two grants, totaling up to $46.7 million, under DOE's Smart Grid Demonstration program. If approved, each grant would fund up to 50 percent of the cost of Beacon's second and third 20-megawatt plants, the company noted in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Company officials did not return phone calls or e-mails seeking comment for this article.
A recent report by GTM Research projects that "power oriented" energy storage -- used mainly to regulate short-term changes to grid frequency -- will grow quickly in the near term but will be constrained in the long term by a limited market. Conversely, "energy oriented" storage -- in which energy use is shifted to other times of the day -- has a massive total market size and is only beginning to emerge.
Reprinted from Greenwire with permission from Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC. www.eenews.net, 202-628-6500
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13 Comments
Add CommentI would like to know what the efficiency is for flywheel energy storage. Does it compare to the 72% round trip efficiency (85% pumping efficiency and over 85% generating efficiencyt) for pumped hydro storage? Moreover, the cost of the installation should've been included to allow us to compare the cost to the approx. $1500/KW cost for pumped storage.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI am in favor of this method of energy storage, because it has zero emissions; however, the costs and efficiency will dictate if it is feasible on a large scale.
85% approx. Beacon Power is a real game changer in the making. The stock is the most manipulated on the nasdq.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this85% approx efficency. Beacon Power is a real game changer in the making. The stock is the most manipulated on the nasdaq.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe stock is far far to cheap. It is capped.
www.beaconpower.com
Flywheels have been talked about for over 40 years as a storage device, it is about time someone did something about it, kudos to you Beacon's.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOther storage type devices that hasn't got much attention is compressed air or geothermal (with molten liquid salts).
More disinformation from Sci American blowing sunshine up the butts of new age "renewable" fans.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe unit stores 250 kwh useless for load balancing but good for minute by minute frequency tweeks. Amazing what 43 million in federal loans from the Obama's "renewable" nuts buys you.
The pumped hydro storage is good for what 8 hours?. What do you when there is no wind for 3 weeks - build a bigger dam? Try getting a permit for that past environmentalists.
Meanwhile really promising civilization changing tech like the IFR, focus fusion and polywell has to struggle to get a million here or there usually from private sources.
It wasn't for a couple of Republican senators holding out for nuclear, Obama "renewable" team would be shutting down nukes all over the country.
Sethdayal, you seem to be spreading misinformation yourself!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBoth you and the article are wrong, flywheels are not for Hz tweeks, It's for holding the grid steady in peak loads so the voltage doesn't drop. Hz is set by the big generators in the system.
Pumped hydro is only about 60-65% eff vs 85-80% for flywheels. Also you can put a flywheel most anywhere needed and it's in the substations they are needed than hydro or pumped air.
Nukes problem is they are too expensive in the US. And who told you the lies Obama was shutting down nukes? What's the saying? You Lie!! He just doesn't think they should get even more subsidies! Do you? I think all subsidies should be removed or in it's price of all fuels then a real free market where home size wind, solar will easily win. No, you want more nuke subsidies!!
Another thing is nukes need storage like flywheels more than any other because they can't be turned down or off. Ask France how they have to about give away electricity off peak. And how much their last nuke cost they are building in Finland?
If the wind doesn't come for 3 weeks, the solar is good as is biomass, NG. Hydro can be throttled so a good part of any system. Kinetic hydro can replace all US coal/nuke as base load. And all the above for much less than nuke.
The New York Times is not always right. The plant is located in Stephentown in southeastern Rensselaer County which is in upstate New York about 30 miles east of Albany.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat I don't understand is the endless argument about what is better while nothing gets done.Endless research is getting us nowwhere.A little less talk and a little more doing is in order.Then we will know what works and what doesn't,but if we keep talking and doing nothing, nothing gets done.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPumping acidic salt water to higher potential energy storage locations on mountains where there once used to be glaciers may not offend environmentalists. Kinetic energy storage need not only be rotary: it could be elastic, such as boosting or retarding motion of huge bobbing floats or anything with less bearing friction such as pivots and swings. We are more than a colony of ants waiting to respond to marching orders from some master insect to build the next climate controlled mud tower. Sustainabilty and efficiency is not to be confused with poverty, overgrazing and plain human reluctance and stupidity while hearing out arguments that require proportionate scaling to our resources to move earth and water in and out of places assisted by the tides, for example.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat is the longest estimated time that a fly wheel facility can produce power without source power.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWell, there you have it, another $3450 per kw for highly fluctuating Wind Energy. Altairnano is also selling battery banks for the same purpose. So now you have Wind, the latest Obama Renewable Energy subsidy for Chinese Wind Turbines, financed by the USA?!? stimulus package, for Texas at $2500 per pk kw. At avg capacity factor of 30%, that's $8333 per kw avg. Add the $3450 per kw for grid stabilization. Now we're up to $11,800 per kw. Add the backup NG turbine, @ $1000 per kw and we have $12,800 per kw. Add $1000 per kwpk for Statewide Power Transmission and we're up to over $15k per kw. And you'll still consume at least 50% fossil fuel - some Green that is.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSee where Obama’s stimulus funding is going:
http://nucleargreen.blogspot.com/2009/11/west-texas-wind-still-2500-per-kw.html
Instead 100% green Nuclear, factory produced at under $2k per kwavg, for 24/7, rain or shine, wind or no wind power. With NO FOSSIL FUEL COMPLEMENTARY POWER!
Perhaps if profit margins were capped, (Yes! let's reinstate the ancient principle of usuary), people would invest in new technology which could supply profits, if not the 15% minimum being sought by current investors?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiscost is about $46,000 per effective kW of capacity. pretty pricey for storage.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisdustin - Beacon datasheet says 15 minutes - flywheels would spin down as energy is extracted.