Kinetic Traction Systems
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kinetic Traction Systems is a business founded in November 2010, producing Flywheel energy storage systems for electric railways and grid storage.[1]
 | |
| Founded | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | flywheel energy storage |
| Website | http://www.kinetictraction.com/ |
Technology
Kinetic Traction Systems' main product uses flywheel energy storage technology developed by Pentadyne Power Corp; staff from Pentadyne joined Kinetic.[2] The 36000 RPM flywheels are originally based on uranium centrifuge technology developed by Urenco[3]
KTS' rail-side device uses a brushless DC motor/generator to spin up the flywheel to store electrical energy (for instance, from regenerative braking on trains) as kinetic energy; later to be converted back to electrical energy on demand.
Uses
This system allows significant energy-efficiency improvements in urban rail systems; it has been used by NYC Transit and the London Underground.[4]
Their grid storage system helps stabilise the microgrid on the island of Eigg[5]