PSI has long been a presence in the aerospace, defense, automotive, energy, semiconductor and other manufacturing sectors.
In a written statement it said POWERTHRU’s energy-efficient flywheel technology will provide users with a cost-effective, low-maintenance solution that can supplement, or completely eliminate the need for flooded/wet cell and valve regulated lead-acid batteries in uninterruptible power supply systems.
“The technology behind POWERTHRU’s flywheel energy storage systems has a track record of success,” said Bob Phillips, the company’s vice president of marketing. “We are committed to taking this green solution to new heights.”
Flywheel systems store energy kinetically rather than chemically. Instead of dozens of 100-pound containers of lead plates submerged in sulphuric acid, flywheels use the inertia of a spinning mass to store and regenerate power.
POWERTHRU contrasts its carbon-fibre-composite flywheel cylinder to traditional systems in a number of ways.
To begin with, according to the company’s web site, heavy steel flywheels have mechanical bearings that must be replaced every two to three years, an expensive process that can lead to significant downtime.
Because its flywheels are magnetically levitated, POWERTHRU said it has eliminated a traditional mechanical point of failure and friction.
Likewise, while traditional flywheels rely on a mechanical pump to maintain a vacuum and minimize aerodynamic drag, POWERTHRU said its system uses a patented molecular vacuum sleeve on the flywheel shaft to achieve the same ends.
The founding of POWERTHRU follows PSI’s acquisition in July of the Pentadyne Corporation’s flywheel manufacturing business. The new company will design and manufacture its flywheel energy storage systems in a facility located in Livonia.
Production is expected to begin in early 2011. In the meantime, interested parties are encouraged to follow the company’s activities on Twitter and Facebook.
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