nrstor to store ontario electricity using new technology - energy storage solutions
A company that commercializes new storage energy technologies has won a contract to provide two megawatts of flywheel energy storage facilities for Ontario's independent power system operators. For NRStor Inc.
This will be the first commercial test of flywheel technology in Canada, a mechanical battery that stores power as a kinetic motion in a rotating rotor suspended on a magnetic bearing.
NRStor sees the future of energy storage as big, a way for grid managers to match supply and demand, said Annette Verschuren, Chairman and CEO of the company.
"There is a lot of energy coming from the grid and the grid needs to manage it," Verschuren said in an interview with CBC's Lang & O'Leary Exchange . ".
"These freewheels absorb energy, maintain energy and release energy in a short period of time, so the system operator can manage the energy quality more effectively.
Make better use of the remaining energy we have.
"The biggest source of energy that will benefit from having storage options is renewable," said Verschuren, president of Home Depot until earlier this year.
If the wind blows, but there is no demand for electricity at that time, there needs to be a storage method for later use.
"One of the challenges we face in Ontario is that our electricity network is growing in renewable energy, so manage it with the basic energy we get from nuclear power, hydropower and natural gas, it's hard.
"Therefore, energy storage does allow operators to absorb more renewable energy," Verschuren said . ".
NRStor estimates the global energy storage market to be $35 billion, with Ontario and Alberta becoming potential customers for the use of renewable energyS.
Open when it is away from coal.
The company is developing several different types of energy storage solutions-in addition to the flywheel energy storage, there is a range of emerging battery technologies and energy storage that use compressed air.
"What we do is take advantage of emerging technologies that are close to commercialisation and we help them to commercialize," said Verschuren . ".