by David Flint
Work progresses on Grange Hall Road in Stephentown, site of Beacon Power’s flywheel-based frequency regulation plant. With flywheel housings now in place for eight of the planned 20 pods, each to contain ten flywheels, the company took delivery on Tuesday, June 29, of two trailer sized electronics housings and four smaller containers housing equipment to provide cooling for the flywheels and the electronics.
Gene Hunt, Beacon’s Director of Communications, who was present for the delivery and installation, said that construction of the plant is on schedule and flywheels will begin to be installed probably in July. He expects that 40 of the planned 200 flywheels will be installed and connected to the Grid by the end of the year.
Hunt said the company was optimistic that it would close on a $43 million loan guarantee from the federal Department of Energy within a matter of weeks. In any case, he said, the time it has taken to close on these funds has not affected the construction schedule of their first full-scale frequency regulation plant.
