Climate change continues to be a significant concern for global leaders worldwide as they work to implement measures to help lower the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to global warming. One of the major culprits, energy, accounts for 25% of the global greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming and climate change. If renewable energy sources could be increased and replace the current energy sources emitting carbon, it could significantly reduce global warming emissions.
For leaders to make progress in the plans to transition to renewable energy, there needs to be a cheap and efficient way to store the energy collected by renewable energy sources. That’s why Amber Kinetics is an industry leader in helping to solve the energy storage problem with flywheel energy storage.
What is Flywheel Energy Storage?
Flywheel Energy Storage Systems (FESS) are mechanical energy storage systems designed to be a clean and efficient way to supply renewable energy that can meet the standard demands of energy grids. The flywheel provides benefits that enable us to improve our current energy grid.
A flywheel is a mechanical device that stores rotational energy by rotating a centralized spinning mass powered by a motor with the ability to capture energy sources over time that allows a continuous supply of uninterrupted power. The fly allows for flexibility in controlling the power through instantaneous responses that will enable operators to regulate frequency and help provide electricity improvements.
A flywheel energy storage system uses the flywheel to store kinetic energy or energy of motion. The FESS uses an internal cylinder or rotor in a sealed vacuum chamber to eliminate air friction. The flywheel is slowed when energy is needed, and the kinetic energy stored is converted back into usable electric energy. The flywheel is a major contender in the storage solution space to provide mass-scale energy storage during excess supply to reduce renewable energy waste and provide energy during excess demand.
Challenges of Storing Renewable Energy
Energy storage needs to be able to meet and adapt to the ever-increasing demands of energy throughout the world. Energy storage helps strengthen and stabilize the energy girds by providing backup power, allowing for the management of loads and other energy management needs.
There are widespread challenges that are storing renewable energy faces from ensuring performance and safety for grid operators through cost-efficient systems and can adapt to the changing regulations the energy industry faces as the world adapts to sustainable energy sources. Flywheel storage systems provide a sustainable energy storage solution built to match and exceed the current power plant capacities that will allow the world to transition to renewable energies with little impact on the power supply.
Flywheel Energy Storage Systems Are The Future of Energy Storage
If energy can be produced by sunlight, wind, and waterpower, how do you access the energy if the resource is unavailable? The key to consistent access to energy through renewable energy is to create methods to store large amounts of energy on a large scale at a low cost.
Four energy storage solutions aim to solve the problem, with the flywheel quickly shining as the most viable and cost-efficient among them. Battery storage, pumped hydro, and compressed air continuously falls short in meeting demands. Battery storage is an expensive option that does not have long-term storage capacity, pumped hydro is not available for many locations, and thermal storage may be promising. However, it’s challenging to scale and is still too expensive to be a viable option. Flywheel technologies offer affordable, scalable solutions to meet the common demands of a regular power grid and beyond.
Amber Kinetics is looking into the future of sustainable, low-cost, and efficient energy storage to help transition to renewable energy solutions to reduce the impact of global warming and provide affordable renewable energy for all. Amber Kinetics flywheel technologies is one of a kind as the first commercialized four-hour discharge, long-duration KESS solution that allows 32 kWh of energy in a two-ton steel rotator with the capacity for individual flywheels that can scale up. The result? A flywheel energy storage solution that can take on the traditional storage needs of a modern-day power grid at a lower cost and higher efficiency than other energy storage solutions.
Amber Kinetics has ushered in a new and brighter future for renewable energy power sources to be collected and stored to help transition to renewable energy without the fear of losing efficiency. Energy storage is rapidly evolving, and Amber Kinetics has taken the wheel to provide cheap, efficient energy that is powerful enough to compete with fossil fuel power plants while maintaining grid flexibility.
