Plant energy Storage

Europe’s first grid connected crossbreed flywheel system service center had been these days (Thursday March 26th) officially launched by Ged Nash, TD, Minister of State at the Department of work, Enterprise and development

Irish company Schwungrad Energie Limited is behind the initiative which will be situated in Rhode, Co. Offaly and is being created in collaboration with all the Department of Physics & Energy at University of Limerick. It has obtained the assistance of Beacon Power, LLC, a US based business and international leader into the design, development and commercial deployment of proven flywheel energy storage space technology at energy scale.

Around 30-40 jobs should be produced during the construction stage that will be today underway. An additional 10-15 renewable jobs will follow. Flywheel technology produces and stores tiny but extremely flexible quantities of power to fit grid demands.

Schwungrad got the first period as high as €2.55 million European Commission Horizon 2020 investment to help the project in December 2014, aimed at establishing a crossbreed system safety and dependability technology, to conquer technical barriers and enable the establishment of reasonable carbon and efficient power methods.

Additional investment is obtained from Offaly based company, RR Projects and the European Commission, to facilitate improvement Europe’s very first crossbreed flywheel system solution center.

The Irish Trasmission System Operator. EirGrid, chosen this task as a possible “Demonstration venture” under its Smart Grid Programme.

This effort encourages and aids the development, trialling and proofing of the latest ideas, solutions and technologies. It centers around projects that prove particular wise grid concepts in an Irish energy system framework, specifically system services.

Schwungrad and EirGrid tend to be investigating feasible collaboration on how best to operate the plant to present quick frequency reaction and voltage control, which subscribe to system stabilisation

A team in the Department of Physics & Energy at University of Limerick, led by Prof. Noel Buckley and Dr Robert Lynch, tend to be focused on electrochemical electric batteries for large-scale energy storage and grid stabilisation. These technologies are getting to be critically essential as an ever-increasing small fraction of electricity is derived from green resources eg wind. The job should include research and modelling.

Minister Ged Nash said, “This announcement is fantastic development for Offaly while the midlands area generally with as much as 40 tasks being created inside construction phase of hybrid-flywheel power plant, and up to 15 full time tasks after that. It's Also an exciting development with regards to clean energy technology and I desire to desire Schwungrad Energie really aided by the project.”

Frank Burke, Schwungrad Specialized Director, with extensive business experience and who had been involved in the very early growth of system services, says: “Flywheel technology gets the advantage of becoming a ‘100per cent clean’ energy source whilst the hybrid technology doesn't have direct fuel use or related emissions, no water consumption.

“It just absorbs power, stores it and is continuously prepared to react to any grid requirements to quickly inject power… It is not an electrical plant when you look at the old-fashioned feeling, but works as a surprise absorber and dynamic energy assistance system, absorbing and re-injecting little but extremely versatile amounts of power to suit grid requirements.”

“The site in Rhode had been chosen because of the historic tradition of electrical energy generation in the region plus the infrastructure available on the brownfield site. Usage of the electricity network and other relevant services may be accomplished with minimal disturbance. The center is going to be unobtrusive -the flywheels tend to be under two metres high and nearly quiet functioning.

Beacon Power President & CEO, Barry Brits claims: “Beacon energy is extremely happy to be using the innovative staff at Schwungrad and seems toward giving support to the effective utilization of this important task in Ireland. We have been positive concerning the prospective in Ireland and Europe for short-duration flywheel energy storage as a vital tool to assist address the grid system security impacts of leading utilization of green power resources.

“within ‘new’ energy storage market, we've been supplying these services in the US for over seven years, have gathered over eight million flywheel operating hours and delivered over 300 gigawatt-hours of service to electric grid operators.”