Demonstrating a Long-duration Flywheel Energy Storage System
Indian Energy LLC
Recipient
Anaheim, CA
Recipient Location
37th
Senate District
68th
Assembly District
$820,121
Amount Spent
Active
Project Status
Project Update
The first containerized solution arrived at the vendor’s test facility and underwent rotor over-speed tests in mid-2024, followed by an initial UL Field Certification. A flywheel system will undergo testing at the Rapid Integration and Commercialization Unit (RICU) at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, anticipated in Q2 2025. A flywheel system will then be ordered, shipped, and installed at the Viejas project site, anticipated in Q4 2025. The installed system will undergo live environment operations and demonstration tests including third-party analysis by Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to validate performance and technical requirements. All final work products and the final report are scheduled for delivery in mid-2026.
The Issue
Long-duration storage of electrical energy is essential for the state to improve resiliency in the supply of power, particularly to address curtailment or respond to an unplanned grid outage or planned Public Safety Power Shutoffs. Native American Tribes are often located in remote areas that are prone to outages where storage could provide critical functions such as increased resiliency and cost savings. This project will use a kinetic energy storage device that can provide a minimum of 10 hours of energy storage capability at a minimum rating of 50 kilowatts. One key research objective is to better understand the value that longer duration energy storage provides.
Project Innovation
The Recipient will install a practical and low-cost kinetic energy flywheel energy storage system and a solar photovoltaic (PV) array to provide energy to the Viejas Tribal Land. The device consists of a rotating disk that is spun up by a motor to store energy; switching the motor to generation mode causes the disk to spin down and discharge energy to the load. Long duration is achieved by using an innovative technology that employs a large rotor with sufficient inertia to store the required energy with very low loss by employing a proprietary electromagnetic off-loading arrangement. The project will prepare a Multi-Unit Operation Report that describes the layout, instrumentation used, and Measurement and Verification data.
Project Goals
Project Benefits
The primary project benefit will be increasing reliability to the Viejas Water Treatment Facility and their 24 hour Emergency Medivac Facility, while decreasing their annual electric costs by 10%. Additional benefits of the project will be 1) understanding the value and impact of long-duration flywheels in rural or remote locations, and 2) understanding the value of long-duration flywheels integrated into a renewable energy microgrid.
Reliability
This Agreement will provide Native American Tribes and their communities increased reliability and resiliency services during times of power interruptions caused by weather, grid system failures, or public safety power shutoffs by demonstrating the use of a kinetic energy storage device to provide power during these identified events. Stabilizing tribal microgrids in front of other long-duration batteries is an additional value-add proposition.
Key Project Members
Henry Boulley
Allen G Cadreau
Subrecipients
Electric Power Research Institute, Inc.
Amber Kinetics, Inc.
M Barc Construction dba M Bar Electric
Nova Services
Vanderweil Engineers
Match Partners
Indian Energy LLC
