As governments and people all over the world begin to understand the effects of climate change through not only warnings from scientists but palpable changes in their environment and an increase in severe weather, it’s a race against time to transition from traditional sources of energy to renewable ones. The share of renewables in global energy use was nearly one in three as of 2020. More countries work to enact policies expanding the use of sustainable energy sources and decreasing damaging fossil fuel pollution.

However, a common argument in policymaking is that the technologies to create a city of the future – one that can run on sustainable energy instead of remaining reliant on natural gas and oil – aren’t there yet. One of these problems is the ability to scale up sustainable energy storage to handle the modern city’s grid and not create new issues through decay and corrosion. The industry needs new leaders with innovative ideas, not just ones that benefit the titans of traditional energy.

KESS: A Viable Solution to The Problem

Enter Amber Kinetics’ revolutionary flywheel technology, a Kinetic Energy Storage Solution (KESS). The flywheel device is a large spinning wheel attached to a rotor that allows energy from a primary source, such as the sun, wind, or geothermal energy, to be stored as kinetic energy – the energy of motion. Like a toy race car with wind-up wheels, the flywheel increases its rotational speed as energy is added. The flywheel’s speed decreases as it’s extracted for use, and kinetic energy is transferred into electrical energy. The flywheel is an ancient technology used everywhere, from primitive potters’ wheels to 1800s locomotives – that Amber Kinetics has upgraded to fit the needs of our modern cities.

Specifications of the M32 Flywheel

As the kinetic energy storage solutions industry leader and the inventor of the first and only long-duration flywheel-based energy storage technology to date, Amber Kinetics has changed the game for countries and communities looking to transition to sustainable energy sources. Their M32 flywheel is attached to a two-ton steel rotor; each unit can store up to 32-kilowatt hours of energy – enough to power the average urban household for a day. By grouping these units, the flywheels can store up to 10,000 kilowatt-hours of energy, which is enough power to run a household for a whole year.

There’s more to this unique design than powerful storage, though. One of the primary issues with transitioning cities to renewable energy is the industry’s lack of safe, low-cost, and low-maintenance technologies. Many of the more traditional forms of energy storage have large oversight costs and are difficult to maintain for long periods. Amber Kinetics’ flywheels are environmentally friendly and easy to operate, made of materials that can be safely recycled. On the other hand, large batteries have problems with longevity, as the chemicals used to store energy are often corrosive and lead to decay – which is also damaging to the environment. With improvements to current energy storage solutions, Amber Kinetics is a leading choice for cities that want to transition to renewable energy.

More About Amber Kinetics

The company has installed flywheels in multiple states in the US, including Hawaii, California, and Massachusetts, with plans to expand.

The world is changing quickly, and citizens are beginning to understand the consequences of relying on fossil fuels and unsustainable energy sources. The use of natural

gas and oil increases reliance on other countries causing environmental damage and is less efficient and unsustainable in the long term. Lawmakers must realize that our current energy model is outdated and provide avenues for new inventions to pave the way to a clean energy future.

Article Submitted By Community Writer