位于马萨诸塞州的Beacon Power公司称其位于纽约州Stephentown市的8兆瓦飞轮储能系统已通电并接入电网。这个8兆瓦飞轮储能系统是其20兆瓦飞轮储能调频场的第一期，也使该公司第一次获得商业收益。
在飞轮储能技术的多种用途中，飞轮储能提供的调频服务是一种重要的稳定电网的服务。而该服务过去都是使用“较慢，低效率的火力发电机，”来实现，Beacon Power称。
该公司表示，其在Stephentown市的调频场和本地电力提供商纽约州电气公司的变电站之间的连接系统可使整个调频场额定满负荷20兆瓦设备联机。“剩下的几兆瓦储能系统将逐步通电，从而提高整个调频场的收入，”该公司表示。整个调频场预计将于今年四月入网。
当完全投入运营，Stephentown市的调频场预计将通过调频服务提供足够的电力，可满足纽约州典型日的10%的电力需求量。
Beacon Power总裁兼首席执行官比尔卡普说，这次入网标志着在美国开放报价的电力市场中这种建立商业储能场生意迈出了重要一步，这将加强我们针对北美和海外垂直市场的营销和销售能力。
纽约电力市场独立系统运行机构（ISO）主席兼首席执行官史蒂芬克惠特利赞扬这种入网模式。他说Beacon Power在地区电网的投资行为是因为它是全国第一家实施联邦政府批准的储能市场规则的企业。
Beacon Power开发本储能场获得了纽约州能源研究和发展管理局的200万美元资助。Beacon Power从1997年成立至今已获得来自美国能源署的4300万美元贷款担保。
该储能场预计将每年为该公司带来600万美元收入。
Massachusetts–based Beacon Power Corp. on Monday said it had energized and grid-interconnected the first 8 MW of flywheel energy storage at its 20-MW frequency regulation plant in Stephentown, N.Y., bringing in the first commercial revenue for the company.
Flywheel energy storage, a grid-scale technology that has shown promise for commercialization, works by accelerating a cylindrical assembly called a rotor, or flywheel, to a very high speed and maintaining the energy in the system as rotational energy. The energy is converted back by slowing down the flywheel, transforming the flywheel system into a kinetic battery.
Among the technologies’ many uses, it provides frequency regulation, which is an essential grid-stabilizing service that is typically performed by “slower, less-efficient fossil fuel generators,” Beacon Power said.
The company said that interconnection systems between its Stephentown frequency regulation plant and local utility provider NYSEG’s substation are operational to enable the plant (rated 20 MW at full capacity) to come online. “Additional megawatts of energy storage capacity will be progressively energized, thereby increasing the plant's revenue,” the company said. The entire plant is expected to be connected by April this year.
When completely operational, the Stephentown plant is expected to provide enough power, through its regulation service, to meet 10% of New York State’s typical daily demand.
Bill Capp, Beacon president and CEO, said that the interconnection marked a major step in establishing its “merchant plant business throughout the open-bid electricity markets in the U.S. and will accelerate our ability to market and sell turnkey facilities in vertical markets across North America and overseas."
New York ISO president and CEO Stephen G. Whitley applauded the interconnection to the grid. He added that Beacon Power’s investment in the regional grid was because it was the first in the nation to implement federally approved energy storage market rules.
Beacon Power developed the energy storage facility with $2 million from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Founded in 1997, Beacon Power has also received a $43 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Energy Department.
The plant is expected to generate $6 million a year for the company.