Renewable energy, particularly solar power, continues to rise in the US despite federal energy policy changes. The competition for space in the energy storage industry is heating up, with flywheels emerging as a long duration energy storage solution. Pumped hydropower currently dominates the market, but limitations in availability leave room for alternative technologies like flywheels, thermal storage, and compressed air storage. Qnetic, a startup with headquarters in the US and China, is aiming to enter the market with their Pulsar system for up to 12 hours of energy storage. Qnetic is developing a flywheel energy storage technology that uses a spinning rotor to store kinetic energy, offering long duration storage at a lower lifecycle cost than lithium-ion technology, with reduced fire risk and supply chain risks. Torus, another US startup, is working on a flywheel-battery combo for energy storage, while PNNL's flywheel program may contribute to flywheel-enhanced hydropower in the future. New flywheel energy storage systems can be located underground, offering aesthetic benefits, lower costs, longer duration, and less reliance on overseas supply chains.
https://cleantechnica.com/2026/07/25/flywheel-energy-storage-us-qnetic-factory-wind-solar-power/