Energiestro (store energy by inertia in concrete)

[GuyGadeboisTheBack]

It is not for nothing that there are mass stoves in refractory concrete, soapstone (soapstone) or basalt.

[izentrop]

They were talked about in 2021

Our approach was therefore not to work primarily on the weight because in this type of application, it does not matter, but on the price and in this field, the concrete is unbeatable, while having a density close to that of aluminum ”.Thus, according to the company based in Châteaudun, carbon flywheels are around 250 euros / kWh, steel flywheels at 200 euros / kWh and concrete ones around a few euros..
Now, the company supported by BPI France and the Center region, winner of the Global Innovation Competition 2030 in 2014, the EDF PULSE competition in 2015 and the Shell-liveWire competition in 2018, therefore wants to demonstrate on a large scale the feasibility of its product. Its solution has also received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. “As a beta test, we have a demonstration project with Voltalia in Guyana,” says André Gennesseaux. In this context, we are going to install a 10 kWh flywheel, which will make it possible to manage fluctuations on the network for one hour, in the event of a cloud passing. In hot and humid regions, the steering wheels are indeed much more robust and reliable than lithium-ion batteries ”. The company is also working in partnership with Engie on the Thémis solar power plant project in the Pyrénées-Orientales (3,4MWp) where several 10 kWh flywheels will be installed with the objective of verifying the interest of this technology in frequency regulation. from the grid, compared to lithium-ion batteries.

“In general, the future for us lies towards the south, in the ZNI, Africa and the French overseas departments and territories. Indeed, some of these regions massively use diesel plants which are very polluting and expensive. If we replace them with solar power plants coupled with the VOSS solution, we can divide the cost by five, ”says André Gennesseaux, who is planning a fundraising of several million euros planned to finance his developments. https://www.pv-magazine.fr/2021/06/21/l ... ergiestro/

[Christophe]

CQFD: that's what I feared ... millions, the conditional future, objectives and not (yet) the least MWh stored ...

[Ahmed]

At the same time, these people relied on inertia, they kept their promise ...

[Christophe]

It is not false !

[izentrop]

In the meantime he is raising funds ... not sure that they are concrete

Energiestro, originally from Châteaudun, in Eure-et-Loir, and who wishes to set up in Belfort. Founded in 2001, the company “develops flywheel energy storage technology. Its main objective is to reduce the cost of storage, which is still far too high with battery technology, ”says the company's website. In particular, it developed the VOSS flywheel, for solar storage flywheel, made from concrete, a low-cost material (see diagram on this website). Unlike batteries, the lifespan of storage flywheels is unlimited, insists Energiestro. Temperature is not a problem and there are no “toxic or strategic materials” like lead, cadmium, lithium or cobalt present in the batteries. With these two projects, 100 jobs are expected with these two projects in the long term. According to our information, the support of the two companies amounts to nearly 1,5 million euros. As in other projects, disbursements are conditional on results: investment in machinery; recruitment according to levels and a schedule validated upstream; installation in northern Franche-Comté for Energiestro. https://letrois.info/actualites/le-fond ... treprises/

[Christophe]

That's what I'm saying ... 2001 already?

So 20 years of R&D, millions and not yet a single MWh stored in "real life"?

There are some who have courage ... but as Ahmed rightly said, the promises of inertia are their hobbyhorse!

[sicetaitsimple]

We didn't really hear about it anymore, but obviously the concept is still changing:

[Remundo]

Energiestro seems to have solved several problems: air void, concrete prestressing, balancing.

The contractor was talking about mounting on bearings, this will still be a loss given the weight (3 tonnes), it will not rotate without internal friction. The longer the flywheel has to retain energy, the worse the performance will be.

Competition from batteries is there, including short-term storage, it is difficult to say. But nice work nonetheless.

[sicetaitsimple]

Competition from batteries is there, including short-term storage, it is difficult to say. But nice work nonetheless.

Yes, I didn't want to relaunch the subject which already has 30 pages, but to share information that I picked up at random.
It is certain that competition from batteries becomes tougher as the deadline for its project moves forward.