Beacon Power turns on 20 megawatts of flywheel energy
North America’s largest advanced energy storage facility is now 100-percent online, providing 20 megawatts of flywheel-based storage capacity.
Beacon Power Corporation says its first flywheel energy storage plant in Stephentown, New York, has just reached full capacity. The facility uses 200 high-speed flywheels to provide fast-response frequency regulation services to the New York electricity grid.
A formal inauguration ceremony for the plant is set to be held on July 12.
“It’s great to see pioneering technology bringing new solutions to meet New York’s energy needs,” said Stephen G. Whitley, president and CEO of the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO).
“Our Stephentown project is under budget and performing extremely well, proving that Beacon’s flywheel technology can deliver an essential grid reliability service while reducing the need for fossil fuel-based regulation resources and cutting greenhouse gas emissions,” said Judith Judson, Beacon Power’s vice president of asset management and market development.
The $69 million plant was built with the help of a $43 million loan from the US Department of Energy (DOE). The facility uses fast-rotating rims made of a carbon-fibre composite material to store excess and renewably generated grid energy as kinetic energy that can be tapped when demand rises or power from wind or solar sources is unavailable. The rims spin on magnetic bearings in a vacuum to minimize energy loss from friction.
