Ground Breaking In Stephentown For The World’s First Flywheel Based Frequency Regulation Plant

by David Flint
Beacon Power Corporation has finally broken ground for the world’s first full scale 20-megawatt flywheel based frequency regulation plant. When Chief Technical Officer Matthew Lazarewicz first appeared before the Stephentown Planning Board two years ago in December, he expressed hope that, having received the necessary permits, they would have the first megawatt pod of ten flywheels installed by the following April. It’s been a bit more of a bumpy road than expected, but the Company finally  held a groundbreaking ceremony at 99 Grange Hall Road last Thursday, November 19.
A statement from the Company indicates that, “Frequency regulation is an essential grid service that is performed by maintaining a tight balance between electricity supply and demand. Beacon’s 20 MW plant has been designed to provide frequency regulation services by absorbing electricity from the grid when there is too much and storing it as kinetic energy in a matrix of flywheel systems. When there is not enough power to meet demand, the flywheels inject energy back into the grid thus helping to maintain proper electricity frequency (60 cycles/second).”
Beacon President and CEO Bill Capp led things off and introduced the speakers. Capp expressed appreciation for the

Breaking ground on Grange Hall Road for Beacon Power’s frequency regulation plant are (l-r) David Connors, Regional Representative for U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Rana Mukherji, Vice President of Market Structures, New York Independent System Operator, Garry Brown, New York Public Service Commission Chairman, Bill Capp, Beacon Power President and CEO, Kimberly Harriman, Asst. Secretary Of Energy, Office of Governor David A. Paterson and Peter Douglas, NYSERDA Director of Energy Efficiency Research. At left is the housing for one of the 200 flywheels to be installed. (David Flint photo)

consistent support received from the organizations represented at the groundbreaking – the New York State Public Service Commission (NYSPSC), the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) that manages the electricity grid in the state – as well as the federal Department of Energy, saying, “We look forward to playing our part in helping this state build a cleaner and more secure energy future.” He said he was impressed, too, with the quality and fairness of the Stephentown Planning Board, especially its Chairman Tom Morelli, who he said, having been presented with brand new technology, had imposed some very rigorous rules to protect the environment. Capp said he had noticed the windmills going up on Brodie Mountain. These wind turbines and the frequency regulation plant in Stephentown, he said, are related projects because, as several of the speakers pointed out, the storage and frequency regulation capacity of the flywheels will help to accommodate the uneven supply characteristics of wind and solar generating sources.
NYPSC Chairman Garry Brown noted that wind energy is non-polluting but it tends to create power at off-peak times; the flywheels can store the energy and release it back to the grid as needed. He said ratepayers have had to pay for most improvements to the grid but this one is paid for by private investors and the ratepayers are taking no risk.
Peter Douglas, NYSERDA Director of Energy Efficiency Research, noted that his agency was pleased to have played a role in tying everything together for this project. They began working in the background with Beacon about five years ago, he said, to reduce risks and enable the testing out of the new technology.
Rana Mukherji, NYISO Vice President, reiterated that storage is needed to augment the intermittent nature of green energy. The 20 megawatts of storage to be installed here, he said, is storage that can be used on a second by second basis. It constitutes almost 10% of New York’s need for this type of storage and will go far to integrate more wind and solar power.
He was pleased, too, that the NYISO had been able to develop a new set of market rules for this type of frequency regulation and have them approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Capp had noted that whereas out in California they are still arguing about market rules, this new set of rules established in New York will set a standard. Mukherji said he would talk to his colleagues in California and “maybe they can learn from our rules.”
Kimberly Harriman, Assistant Secretary of Energy from Governor David Paterson’s Office, brought a letter of congratulations from the Governor, saying he was a staunch proponent of clean energy and innovative technology such as this. Paterson said the flywheels would help to achieve his ‘45 by 15’ initiative, a goal of meeting 45 percent of the State’s electricity needs through improved energy efficiency and renewable energy by 2015.
David Connors, Regional Representative from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s office, also brought congratulations from the Senator to Beacon and Stephentown as leaders in innovative technology that can help to expand the grid in a clean and efficient way.

This early artist’s rendition does not show the visitor center, which will be next to the street, and does not show the 8’ wooden privacy fence with berms and plantings in front running parallel to the street. Drawing courtesy of Gene Hunt, Director of Beacon Power Corporate Communications.

Also present at the groundbreaking was the company that will be preparing the site, LeChase Construction Services, LLC, based in Rochester with a Capital District office in Schenectady. Project Manager Rick Simeone said his crews will start now to clear the site and install drainage and fencing. Next March they will complete the construction work to prepare for the installation of the flywheels. Harry Fairbrother, Senior Manufacturing Engineer for Beacon Power, said the flywheel pods will be hooked up to the grid in stages, not waiting until  all 20 one-megawatt flywheel pods are installed. He was not able at this time to give an estimate as to when the plant will start operating, but the Company said full construction is expected to be completed sometime between July and September of 2011.
According to Capp, this event represents, “important progress toward the development of a smarter grid in New York State and the nation in general. Our flywheel systems provide an essential grid-stabilizing service, and they do it faster and much more efficiently than today’s conventional methods, most of which consume fossil fuel and produce harmful CO2 greenhouse gas emissions.”
On Wednesday of this week Beacon Power announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a stimulus grant to Beacon valued at $24 million, for use in the construction of the Company’s second 20 MW flywheel energy storage plant, to be located in Chicago, Illinois. Capp said. “This $24 million grant, which is the 4th largest out of 16 energy storage grants announced today, represents the most significant financial boost Beacon has ever received from the federal government. We believe it underscores the unique value and stabilizing benefits of our grid-scale flywheel systems. We’re very grateful for DOE’s continued support.”
Capp added, “Thanks to DOE’s strong support, we can now continue to move forward with plans to build and operate a second 20 MW regulation plant, in addition to the one we’ve begun work on in Stephentown. Doing so will expand our merchant service provider business model in the regulation market, and create a foundation for promoting and selling turnkey systems to vertically integrated utilities here and overseas.”