Flywheel Energy Storage Systems (FESS) – The Future has Arrived

As the effects of climate change continue to be felt by people all over the world, the problem will only get worse without taking proper action.

Thankfully, renewable energy is a key part of the solution and will continue to be more prevalent around the globe. In fact, according to Allied Market Research, the global renewable energy market is expected to be worth about US$2 trillion by 2030.

Amber Kinetics envisions a world where wind and solar energy are the norms. However, one problem with those kinds of energy sources is that they tend to be variable and intermittent. The key to the scenario where the world is 100% powered by renewable energy is an energy storage system. That’s where Amber Kinetics’ solution comes in. Amber Kinetics, the industry leader in manufacturing grid-scale kinetic storage systems (KESS), is the only provider of long-duration flywheel energy storage. This energy storage system extends the duration and efficiency of flywheels from minutes to hours which results in safe, economical, and reliable energy storage.

Flywheels are essentially mechanical batteries. They store electricity in the form of kinetic energy by using electricity to accelerate a rotor at high speed, transform the electrical power into rotational energy, and then store it. After this process, the energy can then be used by slowing the flywheel, which converts the kinetic energy back to electrical energy.

This environmentally-conscious option is preferable to chemical batteries in many ways. Flywheel energy storage solutions are low maintenance and have a long lifespan. In fact, the Amber Kinetics energy storage system has a 30-year design life as well as experiences zero degradation. It also has high availability at a site level due to its high modularity. Flywheel energy storage solutions are also insensitive to temperature fluctuations as they operate in hot and cold environments from -20 degrees Celsius to 50 degrees Celsius.

The Amber Kinetics M32 is the first commercialized four-hour discharge duration Kinetic Energy Storage System. It is powered by advanced flywheel technology and stores about 32 kWh of energy. Both more affordable and efficient than pumped hydro or gas-peakers, Amber Kinetics, the world’s leading provider of flywheel energy storage systems, has engineered this flywheel to meet the energy storage needs of the modern grid. Technology solution providers can integrate the Amber Kinetics M32 for multiple applications. The system is highly scalable in power, energy breeding, and manufacturing and can be scaled up to tens or hundreds of megawatts.

As energy storage becomes increasingly important, flywheels will become essential to our energy future. Additionally, with weather patterns and natural disasters growing increasingly more predictable, companies are looking for solutions that meet the diverse demands of the energy market. Flywheel energy storage systems (FESS) do just that and are the most sustainable of the available energy storage systems. This renewable energy storage system is 100% recyclable, has no chemical materials, and has no hazardous waste disposal.

The global installation of energy storage is expected to increase from 6 GW in 2017 to over 40 GW in 2022. Storage is essential in providing the types of services that have long been provided by conventional power plants. Renewable energy storage also drives excellent financial performance as capturing excess renewable generation during off-peak hours and discharging during peak hours satisfies Renewable Portfolio Standard mandates and avoids expensive Transmission and Distribution upgrades and investments.

Founded in 2008, Amber Kinetics has a mission to provide an emission-free, safe, and economical energy storage solution. Sustainability is at the heart of the company’s mission, and they are focused on delivering this mission across the entire globe. Amber Kinetics’ flywheels are also far less susceptible to the global economy’s volatile nature. The company designs the most cost-effective products and has impressive pricing stability. The designs are readily available as they are not used from rare earth materials but from a powerful steel design, resulting in a stable, predictable supply chain.

Amber Kinetics is unmatched in its experience deploying the world’s first long-duration flywheel energy storage system. Their flywheels have a cumulative runtime of about 578 thousand hours around the world, and their fleet is currently discharging enough megawatt hours to power almost 70 thousand houses for 1 hour. Amber Kinetics signed agreements with HECO, Emerging Power, and Edison Electric Institute. The company has also been awarded two US$2 million CEC Grants. There is no other company with this impressive track record, making Amber Kinetics and its solution the indisputable leader in flywheel energy storage systems.