"[The clutch] is like 1950s technology-it's really boring," Westerman said ("boring," for grid operators, is the highest form of praise). "The marginal cost of putting this in is like nothing compared to the cost of the plant." A company called SSS has built these clutches for decades. One is nearly operational in the state of Queensland at the Townsville gas-fired plant, which Siemens Energy is converting into what it calls a "hybrid rotating grid stabilizer."
"Now, roughly 18,000 people live there, at the end of one long line connecting to the broader grid. Hydrostor will shore up local power by excavating an underground cavity and compressing air into it; releasing the compressed air turns a turbine to regenerate up to 200 megawatts for up to eight hours, serving the community if the grid connection goes down and otherwise shipping clean power to the broader grid."
Clutches, described as simple and inexpensive 1950s-era technology, add mechanical inertia to power plants at marginal cost compared with new plant construction. A company called SSS has produced such clutches for decades, and Siemens Energy is converting the Townsville gas-fired plant into a "hybrid rotating grid stabilizer" using a clutch retrofit that took about 18 months and required relocating auxiliary components. Hydrostor plans a compressed-air project in Broken Hill that uses an underground cavity and conventional generators to provide up to 200 megawatts for eight hours, adding spinning mass via compressors to support local and grid power.
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