Powering of standby power supplies using flywheel energy storage

Beacon Power Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SatCon Technology Corporation, is developing the 20C1000 Series Cable/Telcom, 2.0 kWh flywheel energy system specifically designed as a "plug-for-plug" replacement for lead-acid batteries in standby power supply applications. This paper describes in detail the principles and practices of flywheel technology. In particular, the paper describes the system and its components, Beacon's spin test results, the field installation and maintenance procedures, and monitoring capabilities. A cost comparison with lead-acid batteries is also presented.