DOE/EE-0286

Leading by example,
saving energy and
taxpayers dollars
in federal facilities

Flywheel Energy Storage

An alternative to batteries for uninterruptible power supply systems

Executive Summary
Flywheels have been around for thousands of years. The earliest application is likely the potters wheel.
Perhaps the most common application in more recent times has been in internal combustion engines.
A flywheel is a simple form of mechanical (kinetic) energy storage. Energy is stored by causing a disk
or rotor to spin on its axis. Stored energy is proportional to the flywheels mass and the square of its
rotational speed.

Illustration courtesy
of Active Power, Inc.

Flywheel energy storage

technologies provide reliable
backup power with many
attractive features compared
with conventional battery
technologies.

Bringing you a prosperous future where energy

is clean, abundant, reliable, and affordable

Advances in power electronics, magnetic bearings, and flywheel materials coupled with
innovative integration of components have resulted in direct current (DC) flywheel
energy storage systems that can be used as a substitute or supplement to batteries in
uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems. Although generally more expensive
than batteries in terms of first cost, the longer life, simpler maintenance, and smaller
footprint of the flywheel systems makes them attractive battery alternatives.
Application Domain
Batteries for UPS application are typically sized for about 15 minutes of full load
power. However, the vast majority of power disturbances last for 5 seconds or less.
Today, many UPS systems are integrated with fuel-fired generators that can come
up to full power within 10 seconds. Thus, the typical DC flywheel system, designed
to provide 15 seconds of full load power, could be substituted for batteries in UPS
systems with fuel-fired generators. Otherwise, DC flywheel systems could be used
in combination with batteries. Frequent discharging and recharging is much more
harmful to battery life than flywheel life. Most power disturbances could easily be
handled by a DC flywheel system, saving the batteries for longer outages and significantly increasing battery life. A flywheel could also be used alone for applications where
longer-term backup capability is not required or economically justified.
Variations
In general, flywheels can be classified as low speed or high speed. The former operate at revolutions
per minute (rpm) measured in thousands, while the latter operate at rpm measured in the tens of
thousands. As noted above, doubling the rpm quadruples the stored energy, all else equal, so increas
ing rpm significantly increases the energy density of a flywheel. Operating at higher rpm necessitates
fundamental differences in design approach. While low-speed flywheels are usually made from steel,
high-speed flywheels are typically made from carbon or carbon and fiberglass composite materials that
will withstand the higher stresses associated with higher rpm. Higher rpm also creates greater concern
with friction losses from bearings and air drag. High-speed flywheels universally employ magnetic bearings and vacuum enclosures to reduce or eliminate the two sources of friction. Magnetic bearings allow
the flywheel to levitate, essentially eliminating frictional losses associated with conventional bearings.
While some low-speed flywheels use only conventional mechanical bearings, most flywheels use a
combination of the two bearing types. Vacuums are also employed in some low-speed flywheels.

Internet: www.eere.energy.gov/femp/
No portion of this publication may be altered in any form without
prior written consent from the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and the authoring national laboratory.

Where to Apply
DC flywheel energy storage systems are
generally more reliable than batteries,
so applicability is mostly an issue of
cost-effectiveness. Batteries will usually
have a lower first cost than flywheels,
but suffer from a significantly shorter
equipment life and higher annual opera
tion and maintenance expenses. Thus,
flywheels will look especially attractive
in operating environments that are det
rimental to battery life, such as:
Frequent cycling stemming from
main power supply problems.
High operating temperatures associ
ated with unconditioned space.
Flywheels have a much higher power
densitya than batteries, typically by a
factor of 5 to 10. Therefore, the fol
lowing conditions are also particularly
attractive for flywheels.
Floor space is expensive
and has alternative uses.
Battery floor space must be
reclaimed for other purposes
to the extent possible.
What to Avoid
UPS batteries are sized to provide
backup power for periods measured
in minutes. The period ranges from
about 5 minutes up to around 1 hour,
but is commonly about 15 minutes. A
period of 15 minutes, more or less, is
generally presumed adequate to allow
an orderly shutdown of equipment.
Flywheels, on the other hand, provide
a

backup power for periods measured

in seconds. The backup period for flywheels is commonly about 15 seconds.
This is enough time to allow the flywheel to handle the majority of power
disruptions that last for 5 seconds or
less and still have time to cover slightly
longer outages until a backup generator
can come up to full power (generally in
10 seconds). However, a flywheel alone
will not provide backup power for a
period long enough to allow an orderly
process shutdown in most cases. Therefore, the following limitations should
be considered.
Flywheels should not be used alone
for backup power, without batteries
and/or a fuel-fired generator.
Flywheels should not be used without batteries if a fuel-fired generator
cannot reliably come up to full power
in 10 seconds or less.
Conclusion
Flywheels appear poised to replace or
supplement batteries as a backup power
supply in UPS systems. Six companies
currently offer DC flywheel energy
storage products. Another half dozen
or so are developing products they
expect to bring to market within the
next few years. Still others offer prod
ucts where the flywheel is an integral
part of the UPS system rather than
being a direct substitute for batteries.
The current array of available DC flywheel energy storage products includes
low-speed, unenclosed steel rotors with

conventional bearings at one end of the

spectrum and high-speed, composite
material rotors operating in a vacuum
with magnetic bearings at the other end
of the spectrum. Intermediate products
with elements of these two endpoints
also exist. Its not clear yet whether the
UPS application will move toward one
end of the technology spectrum or the
other. Different design approaches may
each find their niche within the UPS
application market.
Although currently developed DC flywheel energy storage systems offer sig
nificant advantages over batteries, the
number of companies currently offer
ing products, and an equal or greater
number developing products, suggests
that further product development and
enhancement is likely to occur. Coupled
with seemingly ever increasing needs for
more reliable, higher quality power, the
long-run prospects for flywheel energy
storage in UPS applications looks good.
Flywheels will be a strong alternative
to batteries in UPS systems with gen
erators that can reliably come on line
in 10 seconds or less. Otherwise, flywheels could be used to supplement
batteries, thereby significantly extend
ing battery life and increasing UPS
system reliability. Although the initial
cost of a flywheel is typically greater
than batteries it would be replacing or
supplementing, its longer life and sim
pler maintenance will often result in
lower life-cycle costs.

Power density is the power output per square foot of building floor space.

Disclaimer
This report was sponsored by the United States Department of Energy, Office of Federal Energy Management
Programs. Neither the United States Government nor any agency or contractor thereof, nor any of their employees,
makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness,
or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe
privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, mark,
manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by
the United States Government or any agency or contractor thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed
herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency or contractor thereof.

Contents
Abstract ............................................................................................................................................. 2
About the Technology ....................................................................................................................... 2
Application Domain
Energy-Saving Mechanism
Other Benefits
Variations
Installation
Federal Sector Potential ..................................................................................................................... 4
Estimated Savings
and Market Potential
Laboratory Perspective
Application ....................................................................................................................................... 5
Application Screening
Where to Apply
What to Avoid
Equipment Integration
Maintenance Impact
Equipment Warranties
Costs
Utility Incentives and Support
Additional Considerations
Technology Performance ................................................................................................................... 6
Peterson Air Force Base
Fort Monmouth
Dallas VA Medical Center
Case Study ........................................................................................................................................ 7
Life-Cycle Cost Comparison
Battery Costs
Flywheel Costs
The Technology in Perspective .......................................................................................................... 9
The Technologys Development
Relation to Other Technologies
Technology Outlook
Manufacturers ................................................................................................................................... 9
Who is Using the Technology .......................................................................................................... 10
For Further Information .................................................................................................................. 10
Appendix A Federal Life-Cycle Costing Procedures
and the BLCC Software .............................................................................................. 11
Appendix B NIST BLCC 5.1-02: Comparative Analysis ................................................................ 12

FEDERAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM 1

Abstract

Flywheels intended for UPS application

(see Figure 1) are typically designed to
provide power at their maximum rate
for a period of about 15 seconds. In
contrast, most batteries for UPS appli
cations are designed to provide their
maximum-rated power for about
15 minutes. Therefore, using a flywheel instead of batteries will generally
require a generator that can come up
to full power within about 10 seconds,
which is well within the capabilities of
standby generators.
With or without a standby generator,
flywheels could be used to significantly
extend battery life and reliability. The
vast majority of power quality events
last 5 seconds or less. A flywheel could
be added to an existing battery-backed
UPS system and controlled so that the
flywheel provides backup power for
short-duration events while the battery
is saved for longer outages. Such an
approach plays to the inherent strengths
of each technology, that is, flywheels
are highly tolerant to frequent cycling
(while batteries are not) and batteries
can provide power for a longer period.
The first section of this report describes
the technology, its variations, and instal
lation requirements. The next three
sections describe the market for the
technology, application advice, and
descriptions of the experiences of sev
eral federal users. One federal appli
cation is highlighted as a case study,
followed by an illustrative life-cycle cost
comparison of batteries and flywheels.
Latter sections list manufacturers,
selected federal users, and reference

2 FEDERAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Illustration courtesy of Active Power, Inc.

DC system flywheel energy storage tech

nology can be used as a substitute for
batteries to provide backup power to
an uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
system. Although the initial cost will
usually be higher, flywheels offer a much
longer life, reduced maintenance, a
smaller footprint, and better reliability
compared to a battery. The combina
tion of these characteristics will gener
ally result in a lower life-cycle cost for
a flywheel compared to batteries.

Figure 1. A flywheel (lower right), integrated

with UPS system.

materials. Life-cycle costing procedures

and results are presented in appendixes.

About the Technology

Flywheels have been around for thousands of years. The earliest application
is likely the potters wheel. Perhaps the
most common application in more
recent times has been in internal combustion engines. A flywheel is a simple
form of mechanical (kinetic) energy
storage. Energy is stored by causing a
disk or rotor to spin on its axis. Stored
energy is proportional to the flywheels
mass (more accurately, its mass moment
of inertia) and the square of its rotational speed.
Flywheels are not new to the power
quality market either. Motor-generator
Motor

Flywheel

pairs have been used for years as a means

to isolate electric loads from electricity
supply disturbances. Flywheels have
been incorporated into these devices,
as shown in Figure 2, to increase rotary
inertia, hence the tolerable disturbance
period. The usefulness of flywheels
directly connected in this manner is lim
ited because the frequency of the elec
tricity generated drops in proportion to
flywheel rpm as energy is extracted from
the flywheel. Intolerance to significant
frequency variation will typically limit
such devices to less than 1 second of
backup power and only use a few percent of the flywheels stored energy.
More effective use of flywheel technology in power quality applications
requires some means of disconnecting
the kinetic energy stored in its rotating
mass from the electric energy demands
of the load being served. The addition
of rectifier and inverter components to
the above system, as shown in Figure 3,
allows voltage and frequency control
while using up to 75% of the energy
stored in the flywheel. Adding variable
speed drive increases system efficiency
and allows the use of a smaller motor.
However, the multi-component system
shown in Figure 3 had historically been
too cumbersome and/or too expensive.
Advances in electronic power conversion
and control technology, coupled with
innovative integration of the components depicted in Figure 3, have resulted
in DC flywheel energy storage systems
Generator

Illustration courtesy of Active Power, Inc.

Figure 2. Motor-generator with flywheel.

Illustration courtesy of Active Power, Inc.

Figure 3. Motor-generator with flywheel and power electronics.

that can be used as a substitute or

supplement to batteries in UPS systems. Although generally more expensive than batteries in terms of first cost,
the longer life, simpler maintenance,
and smaller footprint of the flywheel
systems makes them attractive battery
alternatives. The substitution or augmentation of batteries within a UPS
system is illustrated in Figure 4.

longer outages and significantly increas

ing battery life. A flywheel could also
be used alone for applications where
longer-term backup capability is not
required or economically justified.

At least six companies currently offer

DC flywheel energy storage systems,
with another seven companies devel
oping the technology.1 Collectively,
several hundred units were
reported by manufactur

ers to have been

installed as of fall

2002. Of these,

approximately a
dozen were at fed
Illustration courtesy of Active Power, Inc.
eral facilities. Most

of these were at mili

tary installations, but

the State Department

and Veterans Affairs

were also customers.

Figure 4. UPS system
with battery and/or flywheel.

Application Domain
DC flywheel energy storage systems
could potentially be used anywhere
batteries are currently used in UPS
systems. Batteries for UPS application
are typically sized for about 15 minutes
of full load power. Historically, this
period was determined by the time
required for the systems being protected
to come to an orderly shutdown, should
power be lost for an extended period of
time. Today, many UPS systems are
integrated with fuel-fired generators
that can come up to full power within
10 seconds. Thus, the typical DC
flywheel system, designed to provide
15 seconds of full load power, could
be substituted for batteries in UPS
systems with fuel-fired generators.
Otherwise, DC flywheel systems could
be used in combination with batteries.
Frequent discharging and recharging
is much more harmful to battery life

than flywheel life. However, the vast

majority of power disturbances last for
5 seconds or less. These disturbances
could easily be handled by a DC flywheel system, saving the batteries for

Energy-Saving Mechanism
Flywheels, like batteries, are energy

storage devices. Neither is designed to

reduce energy consumption; instead,

both are designed to provide backup

power when the normal supply is lost.

Both types of storage devices experi

ence standby losses associated with

maintaining the storage unit in a fully

charged condition. Losses also occur as

energy is charged and discharged, but

this loss mechanism is relatively unim

portant in a UPS application, where

the storage devices are not frequently

charging and discharging. Standby losses

for flywheels range from about 0.1 to

1.0 % of rated power. This includes

recharging power to overcome frictional

losses plus auxiliary equipment. Battery

standby losses, also known as float

power, also vary, but are roughly one-

tenth of that for flywheels.

Other Benefits

While batteries can supply backup

power for a significantly longer period

than a flywheel and consumes less

standby power, most other character-

istics favor a flywheel.

The design life for a flywheel is typi

cally about 20 years, while most bat
teries in UPS applications will only
last 3 to 5 years.
Batteries must be kept within a nar
row operating temperature range
typical of space-conditioning require
ments for people, while flywheels are
tolerant of normal outdoor ambient
temperature conditions.
Frequent cycling has little impact
on flywheel life. In contrast, fre
quent cycling significantly reduces
battery life.
Flywheel reliability is 5 to 10 times
greater than a single battery string
or about equal to two battery
strings operating in parallel.
Flywheels are more compact, using
only about 10 to 20% of the space
required to provide the same power
output from batteries.
Flywheels avoid battery safety issues
associated with chemical release.
Flywheel maintenance is generally
less frequent and less complicated
than for batteries.
Variations
Many design variations exist in the
flywheels currently available and those
being developed for UPS application.
In general, flywheels can be classified as
low speed or high speed. The former
operate at revolutions per minute (rpm)
measured in thousands, while the latter
operate at rpm measured in the tens of
thousands. As noted above, doubling the
rpm quadruples the stored energy, all else
equal, so increasing rpm significantly
increases the energy density of a flywheel. Operating at higher rpm neces
sitates fundamental differences in design
approach. While low-speed flywheels
are usually made from steel, high-speed
flywheels are typically made from carbon
or carbon and fiberglass composite
materials that will withstand the higher
stresses associated with higher rpm.
Higher rpm also creates greater con
cern with friction losses from bearings

Contact information for companies currently offering or developing DC flywheel energy storage systems, and companies with other UPS products
incorporating flywheels are listed later in this report.

FEDERAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM 3

cabling to connect to the DC bus of

the UPS system and a DC disconnect
switch to allow servicing. 120 V AC
service is required for most flywheel
systems to operate auxiliary equipment
such as vacuum pumps. Some require
a higher voltage AC service for recharg
ing the flywheel. Care must be taken
to select a DC flywheel system with
an output voltage that matches the
UPS system DC bus voltage. The UPS
manufacturer should be consulted to
ensure electrical compatibility.

Photo courtesy of Piller, Inc.

and air drag. High-speed flywheels

universally employ magnetic bearings
and vacuum enclosures to reduce or
eliminate the two sources of friction.
Magnetic bearings allow the flywheel
to levitate, essentially eliminating
frictional losses associated with con
ventional bearings. While some lowspeed flywheels use only conventional
mechanical bearings, most flywheels use
a combination of the two bearing types.
Vacuums are also employed in some
low-speed flywheels. Currently available DC flywheel energy storage systems
are shown in Figures 5 through 8.

Photo courtesy of Design Power Solutions, Inc.

Figure 5. Active Power flywheel.2

Figure 6. Designed Power Solutions flywheel.

2

Figure 7. Piller flywheel.

Illustration courtesy of Urenco Power Technologies, Inc.

Illustration courtesy of Active Power, Inc.

Installation
Flywheel installation is relatively simple.
Most require hardware to attach the
flywheel to a concrete slab. All require

Figure 8. Urenco Power Technologies

flywheel.3

Federal Sector Potential

The UPS system market grew at doubledigit rates during most of the 1990s,
before slowing in the more recent years
in response to the general economic
slowdown. Increasing demands for
more reliable and/or higher quality
power are likely to maintain strong
growth in this market, especially as
the economy recovers. The federal
government, responsible for a broad
spectrum of critical services, represents
about 5% of the total UPS market in
the United States.
Estimated Savings
and Market Potential4
The primary attractions of flywheels
in UPS applications are not energy
savings. Instead, flywheels offer the
possibility of improved UPS system
reliability and reduced life-cycle costs.
The UPS market in the United States
is worth about $2 billion per year. Of
this, about 20% is spent on systems
50 kVA and larger, where flywheels
are potentially applicable. As noted
above, the federal government repre
sents about 5% of the U.S. market.
Therefore, the federal market for larger
UPS systems is about $20 million. This
is roughly equivalent to 40 MVA of new
or replacement systems each year. The
current installed stock is estimated to
be about 10 times this or 400 MVA.
As discussed further below, flywheels
are usually envisioned as an alterna
tive to batteries in a UPS system with
a reliable generator, but could also be
used as a supplement to batteries to
increase system reliability and signifi
cantly extend battery life. Therefore,
flywheels are generally applicable to
all of the markets identified above for
UPS systems 50 kVA and above.
Laboratory Perspective
Flywheels appear poised to replace or
supplement batteries as a backup power
supply in UPS systems. Commercial

The Active Power flywheel is also used in products sold by Caterpillar and Powerware, so separate illustrations are not provided for these companies.

The Urenco Power flywheel is also marketed by Beacon Power, so a separate illustration is not provided for the latter company.

4
Based on data provided by Acitve Power, Inc.

4 FEDERAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

products are currently offered by several

vendors, and several additional vendors
are planning to enter the market in the
near future. Such competition should
facilitate further technology improve
ments and/or cost reductions over time.
Flywheels will be a strong alternative to
batteries in UPS systems with generators
that can reliably come on line in 10 sec
onds or less. Otherwise, flywheels could
be used to supplement batteries, thereby
significantly extending battery life
and increasing UPS system reliability.
Although the initial cost of a flywheel
is typically greater than the batteries it
would be replacing or supplementing,
its longer life and simpler maintenance
will often result in lower life-cycle costs.

Application
This section addresses the technical
aspects of applying DC flywheel energy
storage. The conditions in which the
technology can be best applied are
addressed. The advantages, limita
tions, benefits, and concerns with
applying DC flywheel energy storage
are described. Design and integration
considerations for the technology are
discussed, including equipment and
installation costs, installation require
ments, and maintenance impacts.
Application Screening
DC flywheel energy storage could be
applied anyplace batteries are currently
used to provide backup power for a UPS
system. The flywheel could be used as
either a substitute or supplement for
batteries. Like batteries, DC flywheel
energy storage is designed to connect to
the DC bus of a UPS system. The
technology is not applicable to power
management technologies lacking
a DC bus, such as a simple motorgenerator device.
Where to Apply
DC flywheel energy storage systems are
generally more reliable than batteries,
so applicability is mostly an issue of

cost-effectiveness. Batteries will usually

have a lower first cost than flywheels,
but suffer from a significantly shorter
equipment life and higher annual opera
tion and maintenance expenses. Thus,
flywheels will look especially attractive
in operating environments that are
detrimental to battery life, such as:
Frequent cycling stemming from
main power supply problems.
High operating temperatures associ
ated with unconditioned space.
Flywheels have a much higher power
density than batteries, typically by a
factor of 5 to 10. Therefore, the fol
lowing conditions are also particularly
attractive for flywheels.
Floor space is expensive
and has alternative uses.
Battery floor space must be
reclaimed for other purposes
to the extent possible.
What to Avoid
UPS batteries are sized to provide
backup power for periods measured in
minutes. The period ranges from about
5 minutes up to around 1 hour, but is
commonly about 15 minutes. A period
of 15 minutes, more or less, is generally
presumed adequate to allow an orderly
shutdown of equipment. Flywheels, on
the other hand, provide backup power
for periods measured in seconds. The
backup period for flywheels is com
monly about 15 seconds. This is enough
time to allow the flywheel to handle
the majority of power disruptions that
last for 5 seconds or less and still have
time to cover slightly longer outages
until a backup generator can come up
to full power (generally in 10 seconds).
However, a flywheel alone will not provide backup power for a period long
enough to allow an orderly process shutdown in most cases. Therefore, the fol
lowing limitations should be considered:
Flywheels should not be used alone
for backup power, without batteries
and/or a fuel-fired generator.

Flywheels should not be used without batteries if a fuel-fired generator

cannot reliably come up to full
power in 10 seconds or less.
Equipment Integration
Where a reliable fuel-fired backup
generator exists, DC flywheel energy
storage can be directly substituted for
batteries at the DC bus of the UPS
system. As previously described, instal
lation is relatively simple, consisting
mostly of physical attachment to the
floor, connection via cabling to the
DC bus, and provision of AC service
for auxiliary loads (e.g., vacuum pump)
and (for some models) recharging
power. Care must be taken to match
the voltage range of the DC bus with
that for the flywheel. A mismatch
would require selection of a different
model or a custom-built model. Care
ful consideration should also be given
to the backup power period required.
This period will vary depending on
the specific characteristics of the exist
ing generator and UPS system. Both
UPS and generator manufacturers
should be consulted to ensure electri
cal compatibility.
Maintenance Impact
DC flywheel energy storage mainte
nance requirements vary depending
on the specific flywheel design fea
tures, but are generally less frequent
and less expensive than for batteries.
Although modern valve regulated lead
acid (VRLA) batteries do not require
monitoring and maintenance of elec
trolyte fluid levels, manufacturers gen
erally recommend quarterly inspections
to check the tightness of connections,
remove corrosion, measure voltages,
and check for cracks and swells in the
battery cases. Periodic replacement
of individual batteries will likely be
required, while replacement of the
entire battery system can be expected
about every 4 years5. Common routine
maintenance items for flywheels are
changing cabinet air filters and checking

5
Battery life varies greatly depending on the duty cycle and operating temperature experienced. Powerware reports an average of 3.7 years for battery
storage systems it provides as part of UPS systems.

FEDERAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM 5

vacuum pump oil level every few

months. The vacuum pump oil should
be changed once a year. Magnetic bear
ings require no maintenance, while
replacement of mechanical bearings is
expected every 3 to 10 years, depend
ing on the flywheel design. The vacuum
pump will also likely need replacing
every 5 to 10 years. Otherwise, most
flywheels have a design life of about
20 years, but will probably last longer
with regular maintenance.
Equipment Warranties
A 1-year warranty covering parts and
labor is most common, but two flywheel manufacturers provide 2-year and
5-year warranties as part of their stan
dard package. Extended warranties are
generally available for a premium charge
above the standard purchase price.
Costs
Flywheel purchase costs will vary from
$100/kW to $300/kW. The lower end
of the range represents larger and/or
lower rpm models, while smaller and/or
higher rpm models will have higher per
kW costs. Installation is relatively simple
and inexpensive, typically running
about $20/kW to $40/kW, including
an allowance for electrical connections.
Operating and maintenance costs will
generally be modest, but vary signifi
cantly depending on the type of flywheel and maintenance approach.
Routine maintenance (see description
above) is minimal and simple, and could
be handled by existing maintenance
staff for a few $/kW/year. Service contracts are offered by some vendors for
about $5/kW/year, which may be more
expensive than using internal staff, but
may also include 24/7 response and
extended warranties. Bearing replace
ment for lower rpm flywheels with
mechanical bearings will cost from
$5/kW to $15/kW, depending on flywheel design. Replacing the vacuum
pump, where required, will likely cost
about $5/kW. The expected replace
ment periods for bearings and vacuum
pumps were noted above. Standby
power consumption will run about
$5/kW/year for lower rpm flywheels

6 FEDERAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

using mechanical bearings or combi

nations of mechanical and magnetic
bearings, but generally about 1/10th
of this for higher rpm flywheels using
only magnetic bearings.
VRLA battery purchase costs, measured
in $/kWm (dollars per kilowatt-minute),
decrease with increasing minutes at the
same kW rating, but increase for the
same battery discharged at higher kW.
The combined effect is that $/kWm is
roughly constant for the same number
of minutes at different kW. Purchase
costs are roughly $17/kWm for 5 min
utes of backup power, dropping to
about $13/kWm, $10/kWm, and $8/
kWm for 10, 20, and 30 minutes of
backup power, respectively. Battery
cabinet costs are included in these esti
mates. VRLA battery installation, like
flywheels, is also relatively simple and
should be in the same cost range per kW.
Routine maintenance requirements for
batteries are more time-consuming than
for flywheels; hence, maintenance costs
can be expected to be higher. Contracted
maintenance costs are largely driven by
the number of battery cabinets or strings
required to serve a particular combina
tion of power and minute ratings. As
might be expected, service costs per
cabinet decline where there are more
cabinets at a single site. Similar to
purchase costs, maintenance costs
measured in $/kWm/year are roughly
constant for the same number of min
utes at different kW. Annual battery
maintenance costs are roughly $3.50/
kWm for 5 minutes of backup power,
dropping to about $2.25/kWm, $1.50/
kWm, and $1.25/kWm for 10, 20, and
30 minutes of backup power, respec
tively. Standby power consumption,
or float loss, is negligible for batteries
compared to flywheels, but the differ
ences in footprint and floor-space
requirements should be considered.
Flywheel footprint, including an allow
ance for service space, ranges from
0.04 ft2/kW to 0.12 ft2/kW depending
on the size and type; 0.08 ft2/kW is
typical. Battery footprint per kW varies
significantly depending on the rated
backup time. For 5 minutes of backup
power, VRLA battery footprint, again

including an allowance for service space,

will be about 0.15 ft2/kW. This rises to
approximately 0.22 ft2/kW, 0.30 ft2/
kW, and 0.36 ft2/kW for 10, 20, and
30 minutes of backup power, respec
tively. The value of the floor-space
differential will vary, of course, depend
ing on site-specific conditions.
Utility Incentives and Support
Neither batteries nor flywheels reduce
energy consumption or peak power
demand from a utility in a UPS appli
cation. Therefore, it is not surprising
that no utility incentives or support exist
for this application of these technologies.
Additional Considerations
In general, the use of electromechani
cal flywheels instead of electrochemical
batteries will avoid the environmental
and safety issues associated with the
latter. This includes battery require
ments for material safety data sheets,
eye wash stations, spill containment,
hydrogen detection, and relatively high
room ventilation rates. Batteries must
also be kept at normal indoor air tem
peratures or suffer from significant
degradation in expected life. This adds
to cooling system operating cost in
existing buildings and cooling system
size and initial cost in new buildings or
when cooling systems are being replaced.

Technology Performance
Several hundred flywheels are currently
being used as backup power sources for
UPS. Of these, about a dozen are
installed at federal facilities. Although
flywheels have been used for many years
as part of motor-generator devices, flywheels designed as a substitute or
supplement to batteries in UPS sys
tems have been available since 1998.
The experiences of a few federal users
are documented below.
Peterson Air Force Base
Peterson Air Force Base (AFB) installed
three flywheels in 1998 in response to
looming Year 2000 (Y2K) concerns at
the time. The flywheels were installed
as a supplement to batteries to shield

the batteries from relatively frequent,

but short-term power glitches. Master
Sergeant Brian Bills described the
flywheels as being easy to integrate.
The control system is set up to draw
power from the flywheels first, then
the batteries, and then backup generators for longer outages. The Air Force
requirements for this computer sys
tems support application included full
backup generators, 15 minutes of
battery power, flywheels to extend
the life expectancy of the batteries, and
a battery monitoring system. The overall system reliability requirement is 5
nines (99.999% reliable).
Of 47 power outages experienced
through 2002, load was placed on the
batteries only twice; the load was met
entirely by the flywheels during the
other 45 outages. Ninety percent of
the outages lasted for 1 second or less.
With the vast majority of the outages
served by the flywheel, the batteries were
reported to look and perform like brand
new. Sgt. Bills said they would like to
get to where they just use flywheels
because of the environmental concerns
and costs of batteries, but they are not
there yet.
Fort Monmouth
Fort Monmouth installed a flywheel/
UPS/generator system in 2002 to provide backup power and protect their
exchange, Internet, and Intranet serv
ers and server backup equipment. The
addition of a generator allowed them
to remove the batteries, which had pre
viously been used to provide backup
power. Without the generator, batter
ies would still be necessary. When an
outage occurs, the flywheel kicks in
immediately, then the generator fires
up if the outage lasts for more than a
few seconds. The UPS system meets
the computer power needs, plus light
ing and air conditioning. When a storm
came through that knocked out elec
tric power to the whole fort for several
days, their computer system never
went down.

Gindy Berkeley said that Fort Monmouth

went with the flywheel/UPS system
because the battery system was at the
end of its useful life and the upfront
cost of a new battery system was greater
than the flywheel system. In addition,
significant maintenance cost savings
are expected. Ms. Berkeley said the flywheel is expected to require $3,000 in
maintenance every 3 years to replace the
bearings. By comparison, it was cost
ing them $35,000 per battery bank to
replace the batteries every 3 years and
they had 3 to 4 banks for each com
puter room. They expect the flywheel
to last 20 years or more with regular
maintenance.6

flywheel/UPS system is about the size

of two refrigerators and is installed in
an unconditioned electrical room. The
Medical Center went with the flywheel
rather than another battery-based sys
tem because of the lower maintenance
costs of the flywheel system.

Fort Monmouth uses the flywheel for

voltage regulation as well as for outages
and other electrical disturbances. The
flywheel produces a smooth 480 V with
1.0 power factor. John Alexoudis noted
that the flywheel is installed remotely
from the computer space. It is located
in an electrical vault because it can
tolerate temperatures up to 100 degrees,
in contrast to batteries, which must be
kept in air-conditioned space.

Grid power was previously backed up

by a UPS system incorporating wet-cell
batteries and diesel-fired generators.
While the diesel generators could
reliably come on line within 10 sec
onds, the existing battery system
was becoming increasingly unreliable
and expensive to maintain. Annual
battery maintenance was approxi
mately $30,000.

Dallas VA Medical Center

The VA Medical Center in Dallas has
also installed a flywheel/UPS/generator
system. This 2-year-old, 300 kVA system
was installed to ensure continuous
power for a cardiac catheterization
patient care facility. This facility expe
rienced small power disturbances that
were causing the catheterization unit
to shut down. This would leave sur
geons blind to cardiac conditions
for 8 minutes, while the catheteriza
tion unit was restarted.
The flywheel/UPS/generator system
is oversized compared with the load it
protects, but facility personnel wanted
to ensure they could ride out any outages until the generators came on-line.
Rick Hart notes they also have a bat
tery-backed 225-kVA UPS system pro
tecting another critical load that fills a
whole room. On the other hand, the

Case Study
Fort McPherson is a U.S. Army Forces
Command (FORSCOM) installation
located in Atlanta, Georgia. Building 200
at the Fort houses FORSCOM Headquarters and contains equipment that
must be kept up and running on a
24/7 basis.

The existing UPS system consisted

of four 500-kVA units operating in
parallel, each with its own wet-cell
battery string. The UPS and battery
system was about 15 years old, which
is well beyond expected battery life,
even for wet-cell batteries. (Wet-cell
batteries last longer, but are more
expensive initially, than VRLA-type
batteries.) In fact, one of the battery
strings had already failed, which
created a hazardous condition for
maintenance personnel, as well as
significantly impairing system capa
bility and reliability.
The battery strings occupied a 2400square-foot room adjacent to the UPS
room. Although the batteries would
have fit into a space about one-half
this size, the existence of the batteries
essentially precluded other useful func
tions in the room.
It was clear to Fort McPherson person
nel that the existing batteries needed

Note that routine maintenance costs for flywheels and batteries, discussed elsewhere in this Federal Technology Alert, are not included in the figures
provided by Ms. Berkeley. The flywheel will also need to have its vacuum pump replaced at a cost of about $1,500 once every 10 years.

FEDERAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM 7

Photo courtesy of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

to be replaced. Their options were to

purchase either new VRLA or wet-cell
batteries, or flywheels. Reductions in
power demand since Building 200 was
constructed reduced the requirement
to two 500-kVA units operating in
parallel, with either unit able to meet
the buildings critical power demand.
The two parallel units were judged to
be necessary to meet overall system
reliability requirements.
Fort McPherson personnel decided
to install a flywheel (actually two flywheels, one for each 500-kVA UPS
unit) instead of replacement batteries
for the following reasons.
A wet-cell battery would cost approxi
mately the same as a flywheel, but
would probably have a shorter life
and was expected to incur higher
annual maintenance costs.
A VRLA battery would cost about
half as much as a flywheel initially,
but would have to be replaced sev
eral times over the life of the flywheel and was also expected to incur
higher annual maintenance costs.
Using a flywheel would allow the
Fort to reclaim the 2400-squarefoot room currently dedicated to
the battery strings. Depending on
the specific future use, room venti
lation and cooling costs could also
be reduced.
The diesel generators could reliably
come on line within 10 seconds,
which minimized the value of the
longer backup period provided by
batteries. Overall, the flywheels
were judged to provide equal or bet
ter reliability than the batteries.
Environmental and safety issues asso
ciated with batteries were eliminated.
One of the flywheels installed at Fort
McPherson is shown in Figure 9.
Although the Fort has experienced
problems (unrelated to the flywheel)
with the 15-year-old UPS electronics,
the flywheels have performed flaw
lessly since being installed in early
2002, according to Luke Wyland, the
energy manager at Fort McPherson.

8 FEDERAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Figure 9. Luke Wyland with flywheel

at Fort McPherson.

Life-Cycle Cost Comparison

In general, flywheels will cost more than
batteries initially, but require less main
tenance and will last much longer. Thus,
a flywheel will generally be much less
expensive on a life-cycle cost basis. Con
sider a situation where a 250-kW UPS
system is backed up by a reliable gen
erator that can come up to full power
in 10 seconds. Backup power for the
interim period could be provided by
either batteries or a flywheel.

The comparison developed in the text

box is based on a low-rpm flywheel
with a life of 20 years and a VRLA
battery with a life of 4 years. As previ
ously noted, battery life will vary sig
nificantly depending on the operating
conditions, principally the load duty
and ambient temperature seen by the
batteries. A typical lifetime of 4 years
is assumed in this comparison. In addi
tion, the batteries are assumed to have
the capability to provide power for
10 minutes. The cost estimates shown
in the text box were developed using
these assumptions and the rules-ofthumb provided earlier.
These cost estimates were entered into
the NIST BLCC 5.1-02 life-cycle cost
model (see Appendix A). The result
ing present value of life-cycle costs was
$248,129 for the battery option, but
only $105,572 for the flywheel option,
or a savings of $142,557 or about 60%.
Although the batteries are initially less
expensive to install, the extremely short
battery life compared with flywheel life
results in much greater life-cycle cost
for the battery option. The details of
the life-cycle cost results are presented
in Appendix B.

Battery Costs
Purchase cost = $13/kWm * 250 kW * 10 minutes =
Installation cost = $30/kW * 250 kW =
Total initial capital cost =
Capital replacement cost every 4 years =
Annual maintenance cost = $2.25/kWm * 250 kW * 10 minutes =
Annual floor-space cost = 0.22 ft2/kW * 250 kW * $10/ft2 =
Annual standby power consumption cost = 250 kW * 8760 hours *
0.01% * $0.063/kWh =

$32,500
$7,500
$40,000
$40,000
$5,625
$550

Flywheel Costs
Purchase cost = $200/kW * 250 kW =
Installation cost = $30/kW * 250 kW =
Total initial capital cost =
Bearing replacement cost every 5 years = $10/kW * 250 kW =
Vacuum pump replacement every 7 years = $5/kW * 250 kW =
Annual maintenance cost = $5/kW * 250 kW =
Annual floor-space cost = 0.08 ft2/kW * 250 kW * $10/ft2 =
Annual standby power consumption cost = 250 kW * 8760 hours *
1% * $0.063/kWha =

$50,000
$7500
$57,500
$2,500
$1,250
$1,250
$200

Average cost per kWh for Federal buildings in FY01.

$14

$1,380

The Technology
in Perspective
As indicated elsewhere in this report, a
few hundred DC flywheel energy stor
age systems have been installed with
approximately a dozen of these known
to be installed at federal facilities. The
earliest of these installations dates back
to 1998 while most have been in the
last 2 years. The experiences to date have
been good. All of the federal installation
representatives contacted provided posi
tive descriptions of their flywheel systems
to date. Still, the number of existing
installations is relatively small compared
to the number of potential applications.
The Technologys Development
Flywheels have been around for centu
ries and are not new to the power qual
ity market either. Motor-generator pairs
have been used for years as a means to
isolate electric loads from electricity
supply disturbances. Flywheels were
incorporated into these devices to
increase rotary inertia, hence the tol
erable disturbance period. However,
such directly integrated devices used
only a small fraction of the kinetic
energy stored in a flywheel and gener
ally provided at most a second of ridethrough capability.
More effective use of flywheel tech
nology in power quality applications
required some means of disconnecting
the kinetic energy stored in its rotating
mass from the electric energy demands
of the load being served. The addition
of variable speed drive, rectifier, and
inverter components to the above sys
tem provided a technological solution,
but was cumbersome and/or too expen
sive. Advances in electronic power conversion and control technology, coupled
with innovative integration of the com
ponents noted above, have been keys
to the technologys development.
The superior energy storage density
of flywheels compared to batteries is
widely recognized. Much of the flywheel development occurring in
recent decades has been oriented
toward potential applications in
vehicles and satellites, where mass

and volume constraints are more rigor

ous than for UPS applications. The
focus of flywheel development for
these applications has been toward
increasing the rotor speed to maximize
energy density. Such speeds require
the use of magnetic bearings, which
are now used in some moderate rpm
flywheels as well.
Relation to Other Technologies
As indicated throughout this Federal
Technology Alert, DC flywheel energy
storage systems are an alternative or
supplement to lead-acid batteries. Bat
teries have the advantage of providing
backup power for a period measured
in minutes rather than seconds, but
this advantage has limited value if
reliable backup generators are available.
Batteries will usually have lower first
costs, but their significantly shorter life
and greater maintenance requirements
compared to flywheels generally makes
the latter more life-cycle cost effective.
Technology Outlook
Six companies currently offer DC flywheel energy storage products. Another
half dozen or so are developing prod
ucts they expect to bring to market
within the next few years. Still others
offer products where the flywheel is
an integral part of the UPS system
rather than being a direct substitute
for batteries.
The current array of available DC flywheel energy storage products includes
low-speed, unenclosed steel rotors with
conventional bearings at one end of the
spectrum and high-speed, composite
material rotors operating in a vacuum
with magnetic bearings at the other end
of the spectrum. Intermediate products
with elements of these two endpoints
also exist. It is not clear yet whether the
UPS application will move toward one
end of the technology spectrum or the
other. Different design approaches may
each find their niche within the UPS
application market.
Although currently developed DC flywheel energy storage systems offer
significant advantages over batteries, the

number of companies currently offer

ing products, and an equal or greater
number developing products, suggests
that further product development and
enhancement is likely to occur. Coupled
with seemingly ever-increasing needs
for more reliable, higher quality power,
the long-run prospects for flywheel
energy storage in UPS applications
looks good.

Manufacturers
Manufacturers of flywheels for applica
tion in UPS systems were primarily
identified via searching Internet web
sites. This search was conducted dur
ing fall 2002. Although the focus of
this Federal Technology Alert is on
stand-alone DC flywheel energy stor
age systems that could substitute or
supplement batteries in a UPS system,
this list also includes manufacturers
that offer flywheels as an integral part
of a UPS system. Also included are
developers who intend to have a DC
flywheel energy storage system on the
market within the next few years.
Despite our efforts, it is practically impos
sible to ensure that all manufacturers of DC
flywheel energy storage systems have been
identified. To those we missed, we extend
our apologies. This list is provided as a ser
vice for those interested in obtaining infor
mation on specific flywheel products for
UPS applications. No endorsement or other
judgment regarding qualification of any
manufacturer listed is given or implied.
Acumentrics Corporation
14 Southwest Park

Westwood, Massachusetts 02090

Contact: Gary Genet

Phone: 404-713-0364 or 781-461-8251

Fax: 781-461-1261

[email protected]

www.acumentrics.com

Products: Flywheel-based UPS; DC flywheel

energy storage; under development as of fall 2002

Active Power, Inc.

2128 West Braker Lane, BK-12

Austin, Texas 78758

Contact: Stephen Burke

Phone: 512-836-6464 Fax: 512-836-4511

[email protected]

www.activepower.com

Product: Flywheel-based UPS; DC flywheel

energy storage

FEDERAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM 9

AFS Trinity Power Corporation

Optimal Energy Systems

SatCon Power Systems

6724D Preston Avenue

Livermore, California 94551

Contact: Gerald Starr

Phone: 925-455-7231 Fax: 925-455-7993

[email protected]

www.afstrinitypower.com

Product: DC flywheel energy storage;

under development as of fall 2002

2560 W. 237th Street

Torrance, California 90505

Contact: Dwight Swett

Phone: 310-257-0301 Fax: 310-257-0303

[email protected]

www.optimalenergysystems.com

Products: Flywheel-based UPS; DC flywheel

energy storage; under development as of fall 2002

835 Harrington Court

Burlington, Ontario, Canada L7N 3P3

Contact: Martin Valeri

Phone: 905-631-4402 Fax: 905-639-0961

[email protected]

www.inverpower.com

Product: Flywheel-based UPS with generator

Beacon Power Corporation

Pentadyne Power Corporation

234 Ballardvale Street

Wilmington, Massachusetts 01887

Contact: John Jesi

Phone: 978-661-2081 Fax: 978-694-9127

[email protected]

www.beaconpower.com

Product: DC flywheel energy storage,

Flywheel-based UPS

20750 Lassen Street

Chatsworth, California 91311

Contact: Chandler Williamson

Phone: 818-350-0370, ext. 207

Fax: 818-350-0385

[email protected]

www.pentadyne.com

Product: DC flywheel energy storage;

under development as of fall 2002.

Suite 610, Watergate Building

2600 Virginia Avenue NW

Washington DC 20037

Contact: Colin Davies

Phone: 202-333-7971 Fax: 202-337-2421

[email protected]

www.uptenergy.com

Product: DC flywheel energy storage

Caterpillar, Inc.
100 N.E. Adams St.

Peoria, Illinois 61629

Phone: 800-947-6567 or 309-675-1000

www.CAT-ElectricPower.com

Product: Flywheel-based UPS

Designed Power Solutions

International
2348 Meyers Avenue

Escondido, California 92029

Contact: Mike Dean

Phone: 760-480-0760 Fax: 760-480-0780

[email protected]

www.designedpower.com

Products: Flywheel-based UPS with

generator; Flywheel-based UPS; DC flywheel

energy storage

Flywheel Energy Systems, Inc.

25C Northside Road

Nepean, Ontario Canada K2H 8S1

Contact: Dean Flanagan

Phone: 613-596-0856 Fax: 613-596-6052

[email protected]

www.magma.ca/~fesi

Product: DC flywheel energy storage;

under development as of fall 2002

GE Digital Energy

Piller, Inc.
334 County Rte. 49

Middletown, New York 10940

Contact: Travis Gerould

Phone: 845-355-5000 Fax: 845-355-9005

[email protected]

www.piller.com

Product: DC flywheel energy storage, Flywheel-

based UPS, Flywheel-based UPS with generator

Powerware
8609 Six Forks Rd.

Raleigh, North Carolina 27615

Contact: Barry Needle

Phone: 919-870-3045 Fax: 919-870-3450

[email protected]

www.powerware.com

Product: Flywheel-based UPS; DC flywheel

energy storage

Precise Power Corporation

P.O. Box 9547

Bradenton, Florida 34206

Phone: 888-522-1600 Fax: 941-729-4337

[email protected]

www.precisepwr.com

Product: Flywheel-based UPS

Regenerative Power and Motion

2018 Powers Ferry Road, Suite 500

Atlanta, Georgia 30339

Contact: Mark Klaiber

Phone: 678-627-0954 Fax: 678-627-0986

[email protected]

www.gedigitalenergy.com

Product: Flywheel-based UPS with generator

Contact: Dick Fradella

Phone: 949-496-4274

[email protected]

www.rpm2.8k.com

Product: DC flywheel energy storage;

under development as of fall 2002

Indigo Energy, Inc.

399 Perry Street, Suite 300

Castle Rock, Colorado 80104

Contact: Michael Warner

Phone: 720-733-8970 Fax: 720-733-8976

[email protected]

www.reliablepowersystems.com

Product: Flywheel-based UPS

535 Westgate Drive

Napa, California 94558

Contact: Chris Gabrys

Phone: 707-254-9302 Fax: 253-981-0243

[email protected]

www.indigoenergyinc.com

Products: Flywheel-based UPS; DC flywheel

energy storage; under development as of fall 2002

10 FEDERAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Reliable Power Systems, Inc.

Urenco Power Technologies

Who is Using
the Technology
Several hundred DC flywheel energy
storage systems have been installed,
with about a dozen of these in federal
applications. Most of the federal appli
cations have been in the Department
of Defense, but at least one system each
have been installed at State Department
and Veterans Affairs facilities. Contacts
for the four federal applications previ
ously described are listed below.
Fort McPherson
Luke Wyland404-469-3563
[email protected]
Fort Monmouth
John Alexoudis732-532-6368
[email protected]
Gindy Berkeley732-532-6171
[email protected]
Peterson Air Force Base
Staff Sgt. (retired) Brian Bills
719-550-8670
[email protected]
VA Medical Center, Dallas
Rick Hart214-857-1052
[email protected]

For Further Information

Perhaps the best sources of additional
information are the manufacturers Web
sites listed above. In addition to contain
ing information about their specific
products, many of the Web sites contain
generic tutorials about flywheels, batter
ies, and other energy storage devices.

Appendix A
Federal Life-Cycle Costing Procedures and the BLCC Software
Federal agencies are required to evaluate energy-related investments on the basis of minimum life-cycle costs (10 CFR Part 436).
A life-cycle cost evaluation computes the total long-run costs of a number of potential actions, and selects the action that mini
mizes the long-run costs. When considering retrofits, sticking with the existing equipment is one potential action, often called
the baseline condition. The life-cycle cost (LCC) of a potential investment is the present value of all of the costs associated with
the investment over time.
The first step in calculating the LCC is the identification of the costs. Installed Cost includes cost of materials purchased and the
labor required to install them (for example, the price of an energy-efficient lighting fixture, plus cost of labor to install it). Energy
Cost includes annual expenditures on energy to operate equipment. (For example, a lighting fixture that draws 100 watts and
operates 2,000 hours annually requires 200,000 watt-hours (200 kWh) annually. At an electricity price of $0.10 per kWh, this
fixture has an annual energy cost of $20.) Nonfuel Operations and Maintenance includes annual expenditures on parts and activi
ties required to operate equipment (for example, replacing burned out light bulbs). Replacement Costs include expenditures to
replace equipment upon failure (for example, replacing an oil furnace when it is no longer usable).
Because LCC includes the cost of money, periodic and aperiodic maintenance (O&M) and equipment replacement costs, energy
escalation rates, and salvage value, it is usually expressed as a present value, which is evaluated by
LCC = PV(IC) + PV(EC) + PV(OM) + PV(REP)
where

PV(x) denotes present value of cost stream x,

IC is the installed cost,
EC is the annual energy cost,
OM is the annual nonenergy O&M cost, and
REP is the future replacement cost.

Net present value (NPV) is the difference between the LCCs of two investment alternatives, e.g., the LCC of an energy-saving
or energy-cost-reducing alternative and the LCC of the existing, or baseline, equipment. If the alternatives LCC is less than the
baselines LCC, the alternative is said to have a positive NPV, i.e., it is cost-effective. NPV is thus given by
NPV = PV(EC0) PV(EC1)) + PV(OM0) PV(OM1)) + PV(REP0) PV(REP1)) PV(IC)
or
NPV = PV(ECS) + PV(OMS) + PV(REPS) PV(IC)
where

subscript 0 denotes the existing or baseline condition,

subscript 1 denotes the energy cost saving measure,
IC is the installation cost of the alternative (note that the IC of the baseline is assumed zero),
ECS is the annual energy cost savings,
OMS is the annual nonenergy O&M savings, and
REPS is the future replacement savings.

Levelized energy cost (LEC) is the break-even energy price (blended) at which a conservation, efficiency, renewable, or fuelswitching measure becomes cost-effective (NPV >= 0). Thus, a projects LEC is given by
PV(LEC*EUS) = PV(OMS) + PV(REPS) PV(IC)
where EUS is the annual energy use savings (energy units/yr). Savings-to-investment ratio (SIR) is the total (PV) savings of a
measure divided by its installation cost:
SIR = (PV(ECS) + PV(OMS) + PV(REPS))/PV(IC).
Some of the tedious effort of life-cycle cost calculations can be avoided by using the Building Life-Cycle Cost software, BLCC,
developed by NIST. For copies of BLCC, call the FEMP Help Desk at (800) 363-3732.

FEDERAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM 11

Appendix B
NIST BLCC 5.1-02: Comparative Analysis
Consistent with Federal Life-Cycle Cost Methodology and Procedures, 10 CFR, Part 436, Subpart A
Base Case: Battery
Alternative: Flywheel
General Information
File Name:
Date of Study:
Project Name:
Project Location:
Analysis Type:
Analyst:
Base Date:
Beneficial Occupancy Date:
Study Period:
Discount Rate:
Discounting Convention:

C:\Program Files\BLCC5\projects\Battery-Flywheel Comparison.xml

Fri Jan 31 11:56:20 PST 2003

Battery-Flywheel Comparison

U.S. Average

MILCON Analysis, Energy Project

Daryl R. Brown

January 1, 2003

January 1, 2003

20 years 0 months (January 1, 2003 through December 31, 2022)

3.2%

End-of-Year

Comparison of Present-Value Costs

PV Life-Cycle Cost

Initial Investment Costs:

Capital Requirements as of Base Date
Future Costs:
Energy Consumption Costs
Energy Demand Charges
Energy Utility Rebates
Water Costs
Routine Recurring and Non-Recurring OM&R Costs
Major Repair and Replacements
Residual Value at End of Study Period
Subtotal (for Future Cost Items)
Total PV Life-Cycle Cost

Net Savings from Alternative Compared with Base Case

PV of Non-Investment Savings
$49,454
- Increased Total Investment
-$93,104
Net Savings
$142,557

12 FEDERAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Base Case

Alternative

Savings from
Alternative

$40,000

$57,500

-$17,500

$0
$0
$0
$0
$90,200
$117,929
$0
$208,129
$248,129

$19,566
$0
$0
$0
$21,180
$7,326
$0
$48,072
$105,572

-$19,566
$0
$0
$0
$69,019
$110,604
$0
$160,057
$142,557

About FEMPs New Technology Demonstrations

The Energy Policy Act of 1992 and subsequent Executive Orders mandate that
energy consumption in federal buildings
be reduced by 35% from 1985 levels by
the year 2010. To achieve this goal, the
U.S. Department of Energys Federal
Energy Management Program (FEMP)
sponsors a series of activities to reduce
energy consumption at federal installa
tions nationwide. FEMP uses new tech
nology demonstrations to accelerate
the introduction of energy-efficient and
renewable technologies into the federal
sector and to improve the rate of tech
nology transfer.
As part of this effort, FEMP sponsors
the following series of publications that
are designed to disseminate information
on new and emerging technologies:
Technology Focusesbrief information
on new, energy-efficient, environmen
tally friendly technologies of potential
interest to the Federal sector.
Federal Technology Alertslonger
summary reports that provide details on
energy-efficient, water-conserving, and
renewable-energy technologies that have
been selected for further study for pos
sible implementation in the federal sec
tor. Additional information on Federal
Technology Alerts (FTAs) is provided
in the next column.

Technology Installation Reviewscon

cise reports describing a new technology
and providing case study results, typi
cally from another demonstration program or pilot project.
Other Publicationsthe program also
issues other publications on energy-saving
technologies with potential use in the
federal sector.

More on Federal
Technology Alerts
Federal Technology Alerts, our signature
reports, provide summary information
on candidate energy-saving technolo
gies developed and manufactured in the
United States. The technologies featured
in the FTAs have already entered the mar
ket and have some experience but are
not in general use in the federal sector.
The goal of the FTAs is to improve the
rate of technology transfer of new energysaving technologies within the federal
sector and to provide the right people in
the field with accurate, up-todate infor
mation on the new technologies so that
they can make educated judgments on
whether the technologies are suitable for
their federal sites.

technology; the results of its screening

tests; a description of its performance,
applications, and field experience to date;
a list of manufacturers; and important
contact information. Attached appendixes
provide supplemental information and
example worksheets on the technology.
FEMP sponsors publication of the FTAs
to facilitate information-sharing between
manufacturers and government staff.
While the technology featured promises
significant federal-sector savings, the FTAs
do not constitute FEMPs endorsement
of a particular product, as FEMP has not
independently verified performance data
provided by manufacturers. Nor do the
FTAs attempt to chart market activity
vis-a-vis the technology featured. Read
ers should note the publication date on
the back cover, and consider the FTAs
as an accurate picture of the technology
and its performance at the time of
publication. Product innovations and
the entrance of new manufacturers or
suppliers should be anticipated since the
date of publication. FEMP encourages
interested federal energy and facility
managers to contact the manufacturers
and other federal sites directly, and to
use the worksheets in the FTAs to aid
in their purchasing decisions.

The information in the FTAs typically

includes a description of the candidate

Federal Energy Management Program

The federal government is the largest energy consumer in the nation. Annually, the total primary energy consumed by the federal
government is 1.4 quadrillion British thermal units (quads), costing $9.6 billion. This represents 1.4% of the primary energy consumption in
the United States. The Federal Energy Management Program was established in 1974 to provide direction, guidance, and assistance to federal
agencies in planning and implementing energy management programs that will improve the energy efficiency and fuel flexibility of the
federal infrastructure.
Over the years, several Federal laws and Executive Orders have shaped FEMPs mission. These include the Energy Policy and Conservation
Act of 1975; the National Energy Conservation and Policy Act of 1978; the Federal Energy Management Improvement Act of 1988; the
National Energy Policy Act of 1992; Executive Order 13123, signed in 1999; and most recently, Executive Order 13221, signed in 2001, and
the Presidential Directive of May 3, 2001.
FEMP is currently involved in a wide range of energy-assessment activities, including conducting new technology demonstrations, to hasten
the penetration of energy-efficient technologies into the Federal marketplace.

A Strong Energy Portfolio for a Strong America

Energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy will mean a
stronger economy, a cleaner environment, and greater energy
independence for America. By investing in technology breakthroughs today, our nation can look forward to a more resilient
economy and secure future.
Far-reaching technology changes will be essential to Americas
energy future. Working with a wide array of state, community,
industry, and university partners, the U.S. Department of
Energys Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
invests in a portfolio of energy technologies that will:

Conserve energy in the residential, commercial, industrial, government, and transportation sectors

Federal Energy Management Program

Leading by example, saving energy and taxpayer dollars

in federal facilities

FreedomCAR & Vehicle Technologies Program

Less dependence on foreign oil, and eventual transition to

an emissionsfree, petroleum-free vehicle

Geothermal Technologies Program

Tapping the earths energy to meet our heat and power needs

Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies

Program
Paving the way toward a hydrogen economy and net-zero
carbon energy future

Increase and diversify energy supply, with a focus on

renewable domestic sources

Industrial Technologies Program

Upgrade our national energy infrastructure

Boosting the productivity and competitiveness of U.S. industry

through improvements in energy and environmental performance

Facilitate the emergence of hydrogen technologies as

a vital new energy carrier.

The Opportunities
Biomass Program
Using domestic, plant-derived resources to meet our fuel,
power, and chemical needs

Building Technologies Program

Homes, schools, and businesses that use less energy, cost
less to operate, and ultimately, generate as much power as
they use

Solar Energy Technology Program

Utilizing the suns natural energy to generate electricity and provide water and space heating

Weatherization & Intergovernmental Program

Accelerating the use of todays best energy-efficient and renewable technologies in homes, communities, and businesses

Wind & Hydropower Technologies Program

Harnessing Americas abundant natural resources for clean

power generation
To learn more, visit www.eere.energy.gov

Distributed Energy & Electric Reliability Program

A more reliable energy infrastructure and reduced need
for new power plants

For More Information

FEMP Help Desk
(800) 363-3732
International callers please use
(703) 287-8391
Web site: www.eere.energy.gov/femp

General Contacts
Ted Collins
New Technology Demonstration
Program Manager
Federal Energy Management Program
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave., SW EE-92
Washington, D.C. 20585
Phone: (202) 586-8017
Fax: (202) 586-3000
[email protected]
Steven A. Parker
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
P.O. Box 999, MSIN: K5-08
Richland, WA 99352
Phone: (509) 375-6366
Fax: (509) 375-3614
[email protected]

Technical Contact
Daryl Brown
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
P.O. Box 999, MSIN: K8-07
Richland, WA 99352
Phone: (509) 372-4366
Fax: (509) 372-4370
[email protected]

Log on to FEMPs Web site for information

about New Technology Demonstrations
www.eere.energy.gov/femp/
You will find links to
A New Technology Demonstration Overview
Information on technology demonstrations
Downloadable versions of publications in Adobe Portable
Document Format (pdf )
A list of new technology projects under way
Electronic access to a regular mailing list for new products
when they become available
How Federal agencies may submit requests to us to assess
new and emerging technologies

Produced for the U.S. Department

of Energy, Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy, by the Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory
DOE/EE-0286
September 2003