Publications
Design & development fo a 20-MW flywheel-based frequency regulation power plant : a study for the DOE Energy Storage Systems program
This report describes the successful efforts of Beacon Power to design and develop a 20-MW frequency regulation power plant based solely on flywheels. Beacon's Smart Matrix (Flywheel) Systems regulation power plant, unlike coal or natural gas generators, will not burn fossil fuel or directly produce particulates or other air emissions and will have the ability to ramp up or down in a matter of seconds. The report describes how data from the scaled Beacon system, deployed in California and New York, proved that the flywheel-based systems provided faster responding regulation services in terms of cost-performance and environmental impact. Included in the report is a description of Beacon's design package for a generic, multi-MW flywheel-based regulation power plant that allows accurate bids from a design/build contractor and Beacon's recommendations for site requirements that would ensure the fastest possible construction. The paper concludes with a statement about Beacon's plans for a lower cost, modular-style substation based on the 20-MW design.