When most people think of clean energy, their thoughts likely go straight to wind turbines and solar panels. While these types of energy are indeed clean, they also include a lot of fluctuations due to the unpredictable elements involved. Solar panels produce less energy on a cloudy day than on a sunny one and no energy during night hours. Wind turbines require a relatively strong wind to produce energy; a day with only a light breeze may not produce any power at all.
The question, then, is how to make clean energy sustainable, efficient, and reliable enough to power the modern world. One solution is energy storage systems. If the energy produced by these fluctuating sources could be stored until it’s needed, there would no longer be variability in energy outputs. This leads to clean energy becoming a reliable and dependable option for communities and cities and could truly change the world.
Amber Kinetics is a company on a mission to do just that. They have developed a ground-breaking kinetic energy storage system that uses components of ancient technology in a modern and efficient way.
How does a kinetic energy storage system work?
The system that Amber Kinetics has pioneered uses what is known as a flywheel. The concept of the flywheel is not new technology; rather, it dates back as far as the stone age and was used in potter’s wheels, spindles, and other types of ancient machinery. In more modern times, flywheels have been used in steam engines, car engines, and other machinery-based products of the industrial age. A flywheel is essentially just a rapidly spinning wheel, rotating around its axis, storing kinetic (or rotational) energy.
A kinetic energy storage system works by building up a high speed in a flywheel, then maintaining the rotational energy. Most modern flywheels use magnetic bearings (to reduce or eliminate the need for maintenance) and operate in a vacuum (to reduce friction and drag). When more energy comes in, the flywheel speeds up, when energy is used, the flywheel slows down. These storage systems respond quickly to variations in energy and, as a result, are able to help stabilize the energy grid. They’re 95% efficient compared to other energy storage types and have a high power density, meaning they can store more energy in a smaller space.
What is special about the Amber Kinetics storage system?
Amber Kinetics has developed the world’s first long-duration commercialized flywheel, offering an incredible four-hour discharge and capable of storing up to 32 kWh of energy in a two-ton steel rotor. This flywheel has been specially engineered to meet the needs of the modern electrical grid, and it does so more efficiently and cost-effectively than other types of energy storage.
So how does Amber Kinetics stack up against other leading types of energy storage? In short, it is the most sustainable type of energy storage compared to other currently available storage options. Kinetic energy storage is 100% recyclable, carbon-free, and includes no chemical materials or hazardous waste. In addition, kinetic energy storage features a long life with no limitations on cycling, is high density, and is highly efficient. There is no degradation over time, no HVAC required, no fire hazard, and it can operate in high or low-temperature environments (from -20C to 50C.) It also has a less than one second response time.
Kinetic energy storage is superior to other energy storage systems.
Compared to chemical rechargeable batteries such as lithium-ion, kinetic energy storage is a clear winner. It can operate at far more variable temperatures, isn’t prone to the common failures of chemical batteries, and is less damaging to the environment due to the materials used.
Amber Kinetics is an energy storage industry leader, providing innovative, safe, and reliable energy storage to some of the world’s most advanced utilities. They have already completed installations around the globe, including a flywheel innovation hub at a university in the Philippines, a storage hub to solve island-related energy grid issues in Taiwan, and a storage facility in a rugged, high altitude, remote location in China. Amber Kinetics has also installed energy storage on the grid in the states of Massachusetts, California, and Hawaii. They boast over 255,000 hours of run time and counting and are a trusted, safe, long-term energy storage source.