Beacon Power Flywheel Plant In Stephentown Reaches Full 20 MW Capacity

Beacon Power Corporation (Nasdaq:BCON), a leading provider of advanced products and services to support a more stable, reliable and efficient electricity grid, announced that the Company’s first flywheel energy storage plant, in Stephentown, has achieved its full 20-megawatt (MW) capacity. The plant, which is the largest advanced energy storage facility now operating in North America, utilizes 200 high speed Beacon flywheels to provide fast response frequency regulation services to the New York electricity grid. A formal inauguration ceremony will be held on July 12.
“We’re very proud to have reached this technical and commercial milestone in building and operating the first grid scale, flywheel based storage plant in the world,” said Bill Capp, Beacon Power President and CEO. “We look forward to celebrating this achievement next month with the federal, state and local organizations and individuals that helped make the project possible.”
“New York’s competitive marketplace for electricity provides fertile ground for energy innovations such as Beacon Power’s flywheel system. It’s great to see pioneering technology bringing new solutions to meet New York’s energy needs,” said Stephen G. Whitley, President and CEO of the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO).
“It is great news that Beacon Power’s new flywheel energy storage plant has reached full capacity,” said Francis J. Murray Jr., President and CEO, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). “NYSERDA has supported this Stephentown plant in our ongoing effort to encourage the use of new technology to improve the reliability of the grid and reduce CO2 emissions. We are proud to partner with Beacon Power.”
“We’re pleased to be in the New York electricity market selling a full 20 MW of fast and accurate regulation service to the NYISO grid,” said Judith Judson, Beacon Power Vice President of asset management and market development. “Our Stephentown project is under budget and performing extremely well, proving that Beacon’s flywheel technology can deliver an essential grid reliability service while reducing the need for fossil fuel based regulation resources and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.”