Flywheel systems maker adds batteries for storage boost

Flywheel-based energy storage company VYCON is coming out with a new system that combines flywheel technology with batteries for longer-lasting backup power capabilities.

According to VYCON, the Hybrid VDC XEB flywheel system enables users who need more backup time to combine the reliability and green aspects of the flywheel system with minutes of extra runtime from batteries. The system relies on flywheels to deal with short-term power disturbances, saving batteries for prolonged outages. By using flywheel energy during brief power glitches, VYCON says, the VDC XEB can significantly increase battery life by handling over 98 percent of the discharges that would normally have shortened the battery’s useful life.

As the company notes, power protection is vital to the digital economy: even momentary power disturbances can cost organizations substantially in lost transactions, production, labor and goodwill.

VYCON says its Hybrid VDC XEB is designed to protect power-dependent applications such as data centers, healthcare facilities, industrial control systems and other mission-critical operations that might need several minutes of backup power. For users who require higher power, up to four VDC XEB systems can be paralleled for longer autonomy and/or redundancy. During more prolonged power outages, the system will also manage the transfer to onsite generators.

According to the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), 80 percent of all utility power disturbances last less than two seconds and 98 percent last less than 10 seconds.