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Amber Kinetics, Inc.

Flywheel Energy Storage Demonstration

Abstract

Amber Kinetics is developing a flywheel system from sub-scale research prototype to full-scale mechanical flywheel battery and will conduct both a commercial-scale and a utility-scale demonstration. The goal is to deliver a cost-effective prototype flywheel system that can be grid connected and electrically charged and discharged. The system will have built-in sensing components that can determine frequency and voltage characteristics of the grid and can override the grid signal to manage the amount of electricity discharged. The flywheel stores energy in a spinning rotor that is connected to an electric motor that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. To recover the energy the motor is electrically reversed and used as a generator to slow down the flywheel converting the mechanical energy back into electrical energy. Amber Kinetics will improve the traditional flywheel system by engineering breakthroughs in three areas, resulting in higher efficiency and radically reduced cost: magnetic bearings, low-cost rotor, and high-efficiency motor generator. This technology can also be used to optimize existing infrastructure.

Contact Information

Ronald Staubly
Project Manager
National Energy Technology Laboratory
3610 Collins Ferry Road
Morgantown, WV 26507-0880
304-285-4828
Ronald.Staubly@netl.doe.gov (link sends e-mail)

Ed Chiao
Principal Investigator
Amber Kinetics Inc
47338 Fremont Blvd
Fremont, CA 94538-6501
408-206-0834
ed@amberkinetics.com (link sends e-mail)

At-A-Glance
Recipient: Amber Kinetics, Inc.
HQ State: California
NERC Region:
Total Budget: $7,457,591
Federal Share: $3,694,660
 
Funding Program:
Project Type:
 
Equipment:
Targeted Benefits:
  • Green job creation
  • Electricity costs lowered
  • Renewable energy integration
  • U.S. energy security strengthened
  • Greenhouse gas emissions reduced
 

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