SBIR Phase I: Safe, Affordable and Green Energy Storage

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The broader impact/commercial potential of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to provide a safe, affordable and environmentally sustainable energy storage solution. This project offers a non-chemical, non-hazardous alternative energy storage to accelerate grid modernization and non-polluting renewable power integration. The project’s core technology is a design that is cost competitive with deployed Lithium ion (Li-ion) chemical batteries, but would be significantly less expensive per charge than Li-ion over its 30+ year service life. This proposed approach allows the long-term advantages of kinetic (flywheel) energy storage (low service life costs, high power throughput, high daily charge cycles, no battery replacements, potential for 24/7 operations) and makes it affordable and safer for deployed stationary grid operations. With solar and wind renewables on par with traditional carbon-based power generation costs, affordable flywheel energy storage is vital to store and dispense intermittent renewable power, enabling the replacement of carbon-based power generation.This SBIR Phase I project proposes a comprehensive testing effort to verify the technical feasibility of the project’s 3D flywheel composite structure for next-generation energy storage systems. The proposed research and testing objectives are to demonstrate the improved 3D flywheel performance and projected 9x reduction in the traditional flywheel weight for the same energy storage capability. Testing methodology includes dynamic balancing, torque transmission determination, critical failure/fatigue modeling, assessing magnetically coupled commercial external motor/generator power transmission and performance in a TRL-5 operational vacuum environment. The effort will also include energy storage market analysis for commercial market entry based on tested 3D flywheel performance. Anticipated results include the characterization of the 3D flywheel structural technology, demonstrated commercial subsystem operations and readiness to develop a full prototype.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.