TYNGSBORO, Mass. - Beacon Power and TDX Power have formed a partnership on the Saint Paul Island Flywheel Demonstration project. Located in the middle of the Bering Sea, this project will integrate Beacon Power's flywheel energy storage system into TDX's existing wind-diesel microgrid. Beacon's technology will stabilize and support the grid and is expected to increase diesel-off time by an additional 10 to 15 percent.

This project received sponsorship from the Alaska Energy Authority's Emerging Energy Technology Fund to demonstrate the flywheel energy storage system's ability to improve system efficiencies in remote and harsh environments and create a model for use across Alaska's remote grid community and other island and remote grid systems.

TDX Corporation is the Alaska Native Village Corporation, (ANC) for the Community of St. Paul. TDX financed and built the first and only North American owned and operated high penetration hybrid power plant in Alaska on St. Paul Island. The generation for the high penetration hybrid microgrid system is provided by a 225kW Vestas V27 wind turbine, and two 150kW Volvo diesel generators, along with smart switch technology and a synchronizing condenser. Originally commissioned in 1999, the plant supplies electricity and heat to an industrial/airport facility, and has reduced the cost of electricity and heat to 40 percent of the original diesel based generation cost. Beacon's technology will enable TDX to further improve wind utilization, delivering projected fuel savings of up to 30 percent over existing (pre flywheel) consumption levels.

Beacon flywheel energy storage systems store and inject power to compensate for fluctuations in wind generation. During periods of excess wind, the flywheel energy storage system absorbs energy and then recycles it back into the system to ride through subsequent drops in wind production providing time to start-up backup generators. As a result, TDX will reduce both wind curtailment and its diesel fuel consumption.

Adding this innovative technology to TDX's high penetration hybrid wind system will allow for enhanced integration of increased wind power into the local community grid. Sustainability is a key value of TDX and the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island (ACSPI). Providing the innovative technology to leverage the natural energy sources available on-island, dramatically increases energy security and contributes directly to improving social and economic security.

Source: http://beaconpower.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/bp_news_tdx_beacon_project_0819141.pdf
Associated URL: http://beaconpower.com/news/