Qnetic has begun low-speed tests of its 200-kWh Pulsar flywheel after 100 consecutive charge-discharge cycles without faults or degradation. Engineers are checking its control and safety systems before increasing the rotor's speed.
Pulsar stores energy mechanically: electricity spins a rotor inside a frictionless vacuum chamber, and the system can convert that motion back into grid power. The article also reports that Qnetic's motor surpassed 11,000 rpm and delivered 130 kW at 97.3% efficiency.
Qnetic CEO Michael Pratt said the company is raising operating demands in stages, checking data and resolving issues before each advance. Test results are being shared with the Electric Power Research Institute through its deRISKED program. The article says successful higher-speed trials could make flywheels another grid-storage option, not an immediate replacement for lithium-ion batteries.
