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Utility scale flywheel systems are being added to new powerplants Can you name one? Beacon Power Has Beacon Power ever made a single sale in its 11-year exis

Utility scale flywheel systems are being added to new powerplants Can you name one? Beacon Power Has Beacon Power ever made a single sale in its 11-year existence? I see it is trading at $1.25 (up from 84 cents, within the last year). The NASDAQ keeps threatening to delist it. http://www.google.com/search?q=%22beacon+power%22+delisted http://www.google.com/search?q=%22beacon+power%22+delisted

DaniFong 18y ago
On making sales, the short answer is yes: they announced a sale as far back as 2001, uncovered from shallow googling. This was for a telecom utility though, not a powerplant scale utility. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5265/is_200102/ai_ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5265/is_200102/ai_ [edit: in H1 2007 they produced sales of $842,034, with $30,244 gross profit, minus substantial operating expenses of $6,443,344. Such magnitudes may or maybe not be expected in a startup company] On adding to powerplants, the intent with the beacon power demonstration plant is to actually commercially deploy the system and make revenues from regulation services. Technically this is not adding to an existing powerplant, though it is adding to the power grid. Eventually the aim to to add to existing power plants where possible, as this avoids transmission losses. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=123367&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1197634&highlight= http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=123367&p=iro... I'm not intimately familiar with the state of the two large utility scale demonstrations. The public information, posted in their stockholders 'results' release, is that they're building a 5 MW plant, have tested a 1 MW system, siting another (10 MW), and ramping up to production; following approval in open bid regulation market. Beacon expects to have frequency regulation facilities in two locations before the end of 2008 with a total of five megawatts of capacity. To that end, the Company has initiated the process of establishing up to five megawatts of frequency regulation capacity on its Tyngsboro site, and is actively pursuing potential locations in the PJM Interconnection in addition to a site in Stephentown, New York. On July 17, 2008, the Company received a land-use permit it had requested from the town of Stephentown, New York, and subsequently exercised its option to purchase the land. Pending approval of an active interconnection request to NYISO and any other implementation requirements of the NYISO, a possible location for Beacon's first 20 megawatt frequency regulation plant will be in Stephentown. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=123367&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1186246&highlight= http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=123367&p=iro... There's also Pentadyne, which manufactures smaller scale UPS systems, used, for example, in process plants. The economics are much the same though, since it competes against batteries. If anything, economies of scale should tweak toward the utility scale implementation.
- DabAsteroid 18y ago
  Thanks, Dani. I'll read your links. You're right, I should have done more googling.
  - DaniFong 18y ago
    Dab, Actually, I don't think so. The accuracy of one's predictions must be weighed against the expected importance of their consequences on how one might decide to act. Obviously this is an issue important to both of us. But the energy problem is a big problem, perhaps the problem, with monstrous amounts of data, being generated faster than one can argue about it, at detail. The goal is to act well, not to make zero mistakes. The arguments we've had have unearthed interesting data, but I would not suggest it's worthwhile to continue much further, unless, for either of us, it is in good sense productive. Some of the arguments and contrary positions you've taken have been very helpful for me. But I must admit, I am getting tired, and there is work to do.

DaniFong 18y ago

On making sales, the short answer is yes: they announced a sale as far back as 2001, uncovered from shallow googling. This was for a telecom utility though, not a powerplant scale utility. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5265/is_200102/ai_ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5265/is_200102/ai_ [edit: in H1 2007 they produced sales of $842,034, with $30,244 gross profit, minus substantial operating expenses of $6,443,344. Such magnitudes may or maybe not be expected in a startup company] On adding to powerplants, the intent with the beacon power demonstration plant is to actually commercially deploy the system and make revenues from regulation services. Technically this is not adding to an existing powerplant, though it is adding to the power grid. Eventually the aim to to add to existing power plants where possible, as this avoids transmission losses. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=123367&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1197634&highlight= http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=123367&p=iro... I'm not intimately familiar with the state of the two large utility scale demonstrations. The public information, posted in their stockholders 'results' release, is that they're building a 5 MW plant, have tested a 1 MW system, siting another (10 MW), and ramping up to production; following approval in open bid regulation market. Beacon expects to have frequency regulation facilities in two locations before the end of 2008 with a total of five megawatts of capacity. To that end, the Company has initiated the process of establishing up to five megawatts of frequency regulation capacity on its Tyngsboro site, and is actively pursuing potential locations in the PJM Interconnection in addition to a site in Stephentown, New York. On July 17, 2008, the Company received a land-use permit it had requested from the town of Stephentown, New York, and subsequently exercised its option to purchase the land. Pending approval of an active interconnection request to NYISO and any other implementation requirements of the NYISO, a possible location for Beacon's first 20 megawatt frequency regulation plant will be in Stephentown. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=123367&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1186246&highlight= http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=123367&p=iro... There's also Pentadyne, which manufactures smaller scale UPS systems, used, for example, in process plants. The economics are much the same though, since it competes against batteries. If anything, economies of scale should tweak toward the utility scale implementation.

DabAsteroid 18y ago
Thanks, Dani. I'll read your links. You're right, I should have done more googling.
- DaniFong 18y ago
  Dab, Actually, I don't think so. The accuracy of one's predictions must be weighed against the expected importance of their consequences on how one might decide to act. Obviously this is an issue important to both of us. But the energy problem is a big problem, perhaps the problem, with monstrous amounts of data, being generated faster than one can argue about it, at detail. The goal is to act well, not to make zero mistakes. The arguments we've had have unearthed interesting data, but I would not suggest it's worthwhile to continue much further, unless, for either of us, it is in good sense productive. Some of the arguments and contrary positions you've taken have been very helpful for me. But I must admit, I am getting tired, and there is work to do.