June 25, 2019 – NRStor has completed the acquisition of a 5-MW energy storage facility in Clear Creek, Ont., that it plans to develop into Canada’s first hybrid battery and flywheel project.

The facility (pictured) was originally built by Temporal Power to showcase flywheel technology, which stores rotational energy in what is essentially the mechanical, kinetic equivalent to an electrical capacitor. The acquisition expands NRStor’s portfolio, which also includes Canada’s first grid-scale flywheel energy storage facility in Minto, Ont.

The Clear Creek facility is located next to a 20-MW wind farm and Hydro One electrical infrastructure. Ten 500-kW flywheels in a modular arrangement can deliver 10 MW, with a flexible range of +/-5 MW, to the grid. As a distributed energy resource (DER), the facility has completed reactive power validation and power quality testing.

NRStor plans to pair battery technology with the flywheels and have a full hybrid system operational next year. This approach could extend battery life significantly by reducing cycling and degradation.

“We are excited at the potential of this project to develop battery/flywheel operating expertise and intellectual property (IP) in Canada that can be exported to electricity systems around the world,” says Annette Verschuren, chair and CEO of NRStor.