The Amber Kinetics flywheel is the first four-hour discharge, long-duration KES solution in the industry, thanks to sophisticated technology that allows it to store 32 kWh of energy in a two-ton steel rotor that’s easily recyclable. Individual grid-connected flywheels can be built up to tens or even hundreds of megawatts, significantly increasing the amount of energy that can be stored for a fraction of the cost of traditional energy plants. The future of environmentally friendly energy storage has finally come, regards to Amber Kinetics’ game-changing flywheel technology.
Kinetic energy storage systems are a clever approach to store kinetic energy in the form of electricity. In its most basic form, the flywheel is a mechanical battery. It works by accelerating a rotor to a high speed with electricity, then converting the electrical energy into rotational energy and storing it.
The energy is then pulled by slowing the flywheel, which converts the kinetic energy back to electrical energy, which may then be delivered to wherever it is needed. Flywheel technology is a greener alternative to chemical batteries that can be used to overcome the limits of renewable energy sources that are only available intermittently.
Flywheel energy storage systems require very little maintenance and have a very long lifespan when compared to other methods of storing energy, such as chemical batteries. Flywheel technology is advantageous because it does not degrade over time, allowing for unlimited daily cycling without the negative side effects associated with electrochemical storage. Its high modularity translates to great site availability, and its low operations and maintenance expenses help it achieve excellent financial results.
Flywheel energy storage methods have a round trip efficiency of greater than 85%, that is the proportion of electricity stored that is later retrieved. Furthermore, unlike chemical batteries, they are not influenced by temperature variations and can work in temperatures ranging from -20 to 50 degrees Celsius.
Why kinetic energy solution is the future of energy storage for renewables
Without the need of chemicals or hazardous waste disposal, flywheel energy storage is safe, low-cost, sustainable, recyclable, highly efficient, and scalable.
Safety & Recyclable
Carbon fiber, for example, is used in some of the most efficient flywheel storage systems because it combines high tensile strength with low material density. They’re non-toxic and easily recyclable. They do not require the use of an air conditioner to maintain a comfortable temperature and can function effectively in both hot and cold conditions without posing a fire threat.
Efficiency
Nothing gets in the way of a flywheel running to its full potential when it operates in a vacuumed environment with a frictionless enclosure. Unlike wind and solar energy, which are subject to the vagaries of the weather, a flywheel functions in a highly regulated environment where energy output and storage can be maximized and clearly predicted.
Scalable
If you have enough space to store a flywheel, you can scale its energy generation and storage. It is not reliant on a chance oil strike, gale-force wind, or Indian heatwave to ramp up output.
Sustainable
Unlike solar panels, which degrade at a rate of about 0.5 percent per year (the rate could be higher in hotter climates and for rooftop systems), and chemical batteries, which degrade from the moment they are first used, flywheel systems do not degrade over time and thus have a very low operating and maintenance cost.
No chemicals or hazardous waste
Part of the reason for the shift away from fossil fuel production was the necessity to remove pollutants and toxicity from the environment, including oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams, as well as miners’ lungs. With clean energy, there is no such problem. While wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal power are all contributing to the world’s transition away from traditional energy sources, they are all reliant on variables beyond human control, such as weather or topography. Flywheel energy storage in India is solely reliant on a manufacturer’s ability to produce them, with clean energy as the only by-product.
Amber Kinetics and its solution are the industry leader
Amber Kinetics has engineered a flywheel to meet the energy storage needs of the modern grid at a lower cost and higher efficiency than gas-peakers or pumped hydro. As the only provider of a long-duration flywheel energy storage solution, Amber Kinetics has engineered a flywheel to meet the energy storage needs of the modern grid at a lower cost and higher efficiency than gas-peakers or pumped hydro. Most notably, Amber Kinetics has increased the efficiency and duration of flywheels from minutes to hours, resulting in safe, cost-effective, and dependable energy storage.
The Amber Kinetics M32 (8kW, 32kWh) is the first commercialized Kinetic Energy Storage System with a four-hour discharge period (KESS). Advanced flywheel technology stores 32 kWh of energy in a two-ton steel rotor, powering it. Individual flywheels can be scaled up to tens or even hundreds of megawatts for grid-connected or grid-forming applications when gathered together, comparable to solar PV panels.
Capturing and releasing excess renewable production during off-peak hours allows utilities to meet Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) goals while avoiding costly Transmission and Distribution (T&D) improvements and expenditures, with savings passed on to ratepayers.
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