Title: U.S. Department of Energy Announces $24 Million Smart Grid Stimulus Grant Award to Beacon Power

Industry sector: Energy storage

U.S. Department of Energy Announces $24 Million Smart Grid Stimulus Grant Award to Beacon Power

TYNGSBORO, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Beacon Power Corporation (Nasdaq: BCON - News), a company that designs and develops advanced products and services to support more stable, reliable and efficient electricity grid operation, said today that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that it has awarded a stimulus grant to Beacon valued at $24 million, for use in the construction of the Company’s second 20 MW flywheel energy storage plant, to be located in Chicago, Illinois.

“We’re extremely pleased to receive this grant award from the Department of Energy,” said Bill Capp, Beacon president and CEO. “DOE has long supported Beacon’s pioneering efforts to bring our clean, sustainable and cost-saving energy storage technology to the grid. This $24 million grant, which is the 4th largest out of 16 energy storage grants announced today, represents the most significant financial boost Beacon has ever received from the federal government. We believe it underscores the unique value and stabilizing benefits of our grid-scale flywheel systems. We’re very grateful for DOE’s continued support.”

Capp added: “Thanks to DOE’s strong support, we can now continue to move forward with plans to build and operate a second 20 MW regulation plant, in addition to the one we’ve begun work on in Stephentown, New York. Doing so will expand our merchant service provider business model in the regulation market, and create a foundation for promoting and selling turnkey systems to vertically integrated utilities here and overseas.”

According to DOE, the funding award is to “Design, build, test, commission and operate a utility-scale 20 MW flywheel energy storage frequency regulation plant in Chicago, Illinois, and provide frequency regulation services to the grid operator, the PJM Interconnection. The project will also demonstrate the technical, cost and environmental advantages of fast-response flywheel-based frequency regulation management, lowering the cost to build a 20 MW flywheel energy storage plant to improve grid reliability while increasing the use of wind and solar power.”

The grant for the Chicago facility results from one of Beacon’s two applications for DOE Smart Grid demonstration project funding, known as Funding Opportunity Announcement DE-FOA-0000036. Area of Interest 2.2 of the DOE solicitation contemplated one or two grants for Frequency Regulation Ancillary Services projects. The Department made only one award, which was for Beacon’s 20 MW regulation plant. The grant award of $24 million is for 50% of the project’s estimated cost. DOE will provide further details of the grant conditions in the near future.

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