Load Balancing With Beacon Power's SmartEnergyMatrix
by John Laumer, Philadelphia
on 08.12.06
Beacon Power’s flywheels can absorb and release power in less than four seconds, balancing supply and demand on the power grid faster, cleaner, and cheaper than conventional power plants. Technology Review over at MIT has an in-depth article outlining how skid-mounted flywheel clusters are being tested in a pair of load balancing/frequency control projects. Should the prototypes be proven and then accepted on a nation-wide scale it should make for a substantial energy savings and reduced odds of grid failure, as well as collective pollution reductions. Hard to grasp until you read the entire article. If you're one of the visual-first types, we recommend first having a look at the Beacon flash animation called "Flywheels and Frequency Regulation". Final note: wind power growth increases the need for better frequency regulation; so, you windies ought to allign with the Beacon Mer-go-i-round.
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- A Cheaper and Faster Thanksgiving Dinner: Deconstructed Turkey
- 5 Must-Have Books for Urban Gardeners
- To Fu, or Not To Fu
- Start a Family Feud: Separating Siblings Leads to Faster Garden Growth
- Dust off the Slow Cooker for Ayurvedic Kitchari
- The Indoor Garden: Your Cure for the Winter Blues

































Comments ()




