Mott MacDonald wins award for storage technology

03 December 2011

Mott MacDonald, together with Beacon Power, have been named winners of the Energy Institute (EI) Technology Award for the ground breaking Stephentown flywheel energy storage plant in New York State, U.S.

Reportedly the world’s first grid-scale flywheel energy storage facility, the 20MW Beacon Power Stephentown plant is a power sector landmark, demonstrating the commercial viability of a major technical innovation. Mott MacDonald provided the detailed electrical design of the substation and acted as project managers during the study and installation of the plant.

The Energy Institute (EI) Technology Award judges were impressed by how flywheel energy storage enables effective balancing of power supply and demand, a challenge that has dogged the electricity industry for many years. Flywheels provide an instant response to frequency fluctuations - storing power when demand is low and returning it to the grid when demand surges.

Aijuan Wang said of the award win: “The Energy Institute is the professional body for the energy industry, delivering good practice and professionalism across the depth and breadth of the sector, so it is great to be honoured by them with this award. Our power engineers in Boston worked very hard on this project and it is a fantastic achievement, which shows that innovation in energy storage has made an important contribution to the energy sector and will continue to do so in the future.”

The EI Awards recognise innovation and excellence amongst individuals and organisations working in the global energy sector. This year’s event was hosted by EI chief executive Louise Kingham OBE, while physicist and BBC Science presenter, Professor Brian Cox OBE attended as a guest speaker.

 

This article is featured in:
Energy efficiency  •  Energy infrastructure  •  Energy storage including Fuel cells