Action Plan for New Flywheel Technology. Packers Group - TECH 230.

3. MAJOR BENEFITS OF FLYWHEEL TECHOLOGY INTEGRATION Increased energy capacity: Today’s environment is stretching the aging transmission system to operate at power flow levels closer to voltage, thermal and stability limits. For example, from June through August 2005, the Northwest energy grid exceeded capacity 147 times. Lower energy cost to consumers: This is a challenge that is best met by making initial investments in sustainable material sources that have a cheaper initial cost and a cheaper maintenance cost. Flywheel technology offers both. Increased security: Flywheels offer less chance for damage, both human and natural. More effective regulation: Flywheels have proven more effective than most other energy options, according to the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE), and shown in the chart at right. Flywheel technology is green: The primary method used today for frequency regulation is to ramp fossil fuel power plants up and down, producing significant emissions. Flywheels will provide more reliable regulation, while generating zero direct emissions. This would dramatically reduce CO2 emissions, as shown in the chart at left based on a study funded by the DOE.

4. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS Funding for project: Money exists in the form of grants from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA). Accepting money from these entities then subjects the project to the statutory authority of the government accountability office, the inspectors general, and the office of management and budget (OMB), in addition to the agencies listed above. Both Acts also come with specific sets of guidelines and rules for using the money and for projects developed using the money, including but not limited to ensuring that all materials used in the project are made in the U.S. A.