Some of our natural sources of alternative energy, like wind and wave power, just won’t cooperate by producing power when we, or utility companies need it. One solution – stop wasting energy produced in low demand situations, like nighttime0 – and store the energy for a time when it is most needed (or you can charge more for it). Beacon Power, a Massachusetts company, is using a $43 million Federal loan guarantee to build a $67 million energy storage facility in Stephentown, NY.
Beacon’s Smart Energy 25 design is centered around a flywheel storage system that works by accelerating a cylindrical assembly called a rotor (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. The flywheel system itself functions as a kinetic, or mechanical battery, spinning at very high speeds to store energy that is instantly available when needed. Beacon’s Smart Energy 25 flywheel has a high-performance rotor assembly that is sealed in a vacuum chamber and spins between 8,000 and 16,000 rpm. At 16,000 rpm the flywheel can store and deliver 25 kWh of extractable energy.
Beacon Power has designed a grid-scale system it calls the “Smart Energy Matrix” which is a multiple integrated system of (10) Smart Energy 25 flywheels interconnected in an array, or matrix, to provide energy storage for certain utility applications. (more…)
Most recently, Honda has taken the wraps off of its new driving system—the first, claims Honda, to allow for 360 degree movement. Called the U3-X, Honda’s latest mobile boasts an eerie resemblance to a futuristic unicycle, allowing someone who takes a seat on top to lean forward, sideways or even diagonally to go in that direction.
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