RENEWABLE ENERGY:AN INNOVATIVE company whose flywheel technology makes it easier to integrate renewable energy into electricity grids has secured $43 million (around €33.5 million) in US government funding for the completion of its first 20MW storage plant in New York.

Storing kinetic energy and providing backup power using a flywheel is not new, but Beacon Power’s advanced system also provides frequency regulation, absorbing electricity from the grid when necessary and then injecting it back into the grid in response to peaks in demand.

As grid operators connect more and more wind and solar energy to their systems, the technology will allow them to draw on stored power when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.

The company claims its technology is cleaner and more reliable than gas-fired peaking plants currently used by grid operators in countries including Ireland to manage frequency and cover peaks in demand. Its New York plant is expected to be up and running next year.