4/23/2017 FAQs | Amber Kinetics

FAQS

1. WHAT IS THE AMBER KINETICS ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM?

The Amber Kinetics storage system is an electro-mechanical battery which uses ywheel technology to store 32 kWh of energy
in a 5,000 lb. steel rotor. When combined in groups of ywheels, the battery can be scaled up to tens or even hundreds of
megawatts for charge/discharge durations of up to 4 hours.

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The mechanical battery can charge from any available input source: from the electric grid; from solar & wind; or from diesel
generation. The stored energy can then be provided back into the grid or supplied to a load as required and directed. The
mechanical battery is uniquely capable of being charged as quickly as it was discharged, can respond to all forms of power
quality variations and can be operated as a UPS as well. It has very high round trip ef ciency of 88-90% due to its unique yet
simple design, has unlimited cycling capabilities and very low maintenance requirements. It requires no external temperature
conditioning and can operate from -40 to 50C.

Amber Kinetics uses a medium speed, steel ywheel with a rotational speed <10,000 RPM, making it extremely robust and
simple.

2. HOW DOES A FLYWHEEL WORK?

A ywheel converts electrical energy and stores it in a rotating mass. There are two general classes of ywheels:

Low & Medium speed ywheels which primarily use steel and operate below 10,000 RPM (Amber Kinetics
ywheel)

High speed ywheels made from ber composites and typically operate between 10,000 100,000 RPM.

The amount of energy stored in a ywheel is roughly equal to mass x velocity squared. So, doubling mass doubles the stored
energy for a given velocity, but doubling the rotational speed quadruples energy storage. The mass is a function of the size and
material used in the rotor. The absolute speed of the rotor is limited by the properties and performance characteristics of the
rotor material.

3. WHAT ARE THE TARGET MARKETS/ APPLICATIONS?

Telecoms: Small units used for communications and/or substation battery replacement are in the 30kWh 48Vdc
size range. These units are outdoor rated and adhere to cell phone tower, battery backup standards

Microgrids: Microgrids and on-site hybrid power systems for commercial and industrial applications. Multiple
ywheel units can be integrated in parallel with 800Vdc outputs coupled to a PCS similar to large-scale solar
parks, to provide MW-scale solutions for utilities or island micro-grids.

Utilities exible & fast-ramping capacity, ancillary services, resource adequacy (4 hours), and transmission and
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distribution deferral

4. WHY HAVE FLYWHEELS NOT BEEN DEVELOPED IN THIS LONGER, 4-HOUR DURATION BEFORE?
Flywheels are one of the oldest forms of energy storage dating back thousands of years to the potters wheel. More recently,
they are used in multiple military applications such as railguns, aircraft carrier catapult launches, by NASA, and in buses and
even in amusement parks to manage the sudden power surge requirements for various park rides. For the most part, the
ywheels are used to provide short duration energy storage. In buses, for example to recapture energy when decelerating, in
trains for capturing regenerative breaking energy, and in grid connected systems for smoothing sudden large power demands
and thus reducing maximum demand charges. More recently, frequency regulation and market trading has been a target.

The challenge of achieving long duration 4 hours of storage has centered on the following:

The ability to control the rotor material consistency and accuracy of design;

The ability to obtain long life low friction, sealed bearings to support the rotor mass; and
The ability to economically manufacture in volume, high quality systems.

Amber Kinetics has addressed these challenges in several ways. First, it re-engineered the ywheel rotors metallurgical
properties, evolving & re ning certain low-carbon steel alloy chemistries and processing steps to achieve a nearly ideal
crystalline structure in the nal part. Then, the company leveraged advances in CNC machining developed for the
semiconductor industry to engineer high-precision, high-quality steel rotors in rapid fashion. After solving the rotor cost
challenge, the team then developed several patented innovations to reduce the friction and apparent weight seen by the
bearings, including operating the system in a continuous vacuum. Finally, using modern, sealed, self-lubricating bearings, which
are now available, Amber has been able to leverage off-the-shelf technology to bring reliable and high-performance operations
to ywheels.

In the manufacturing process, in working together with large outsourced vendors, Amber has developed a material quality
processes and noninvasive manufacturing and inspection steps to examine every part for quality during production. By
integrating these, the Amber ywheel has overcome previous limitations to produce simple steel rotor, low cost, high ef ciency
and low maintenance systems, providing 4-hour storage durations at medium speed.

5. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF AMBERS BATTERY VERSUS CHEMICAL BATTERIES?

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Depending on applications, the Amber ywheel system provides considerable advantages over chemical batteries.

>88% round trip ef ciency (DC)

No daily cycling limitations

Zero degradation over time

Passive air cooling, no HVAC required

Operates in hot and cold environments (-40C to 50C)

Fast response time

All-steel design is fully recyclable

Minimal O&M

30-year design life

10-year manufacturer warranty

6. WHAT ARE THE LIMITATIONS OF THE AMBER KINETICS BATTERY?

The energy density or energy stored in the rotor limits the use of the Amber battery outside of constrained spaces. The system
footprint is approximately: 4 MW | 16 MWh per acre.

7. WHAT ARE THE WEIGHTS OF THE SYSTEM COMPONENTS? WHAT IS THE FOOTPRINT?
Please refer to the technical spec sheet. Each ywheel is rated at for 8 kW | 32 kWh and weighs around 10,000 lbs. Each unit is
approximately 2 cubic meters in size.

For single unit installations, a choice of 48Vdc or 800Vdc are available. A power converter system can be connected to connect
to the grid or load. In telecom applications, the output is 48Vdc nominal over the whole charge-discharge range.

A signal indicating the SOC is always available from the system to start an onsite diesel generator or to transfer back to a grid.

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In larger installations, we can provide engineering drawings which show the standardized layout or building blocks for systems
up to 10MW 40MWh. Amber partners with project developers and construction companies to design and install total systems
which consist of the ywheel energy storage system, the site construction, central control, PCS and switchgear and provides a
10 year or 20-year warranty.

Permitting is primarily driven by electrical and grid codes and civil construction /building codes. These are all well-known and
standardized allowing for straightforward installations. Safety is a primary consideration of Amber Kinetics so all designs have
been developed to provide maximum safety.

8. HOW MANY HOURS ARE REQUIRED TO CHARGE FOR EACH HOUR OF DISCHARGE?
The charge-discharge ratio is very close to 1 to 1 (charging takes slightly longer than 4 hrs due to one-way ef ciency losses).
This allows the system to be cycled more than once a day as well as to fast charge to 100% rating without impact on life. Where
diesel engines are the source of energy as with telecoms and microgrids, this is a key driver to lowering the LCOE.

9. WHAT IS THE LIFE CYCLE OF THE AMBER KINETICS FLYWHEEL?

The Amber Kinetics ywheel has a design life of 30 years. It can be cycled more than once a day and with rapid charge times can
meet the double peak that is beginning to appear on many grids across the world morning and evening peaks. Chemical
batteries are challenged due to heating and life cycle limitations.

10. WHAT IS THE TIME REQUIRED TO COMPLETE AN INSTALLATION OF MW SCALE?

Delivery schedule for a 10MW system is approximately 18months from order to energization.

About Amber Kinetics ABOUT

Amber Kinetics, Inc. was founded in anticipation of the CAREERS

enormous worldwide demand for competitively priced, safe,
environmentally sustainable, multi-hour energy storage. Our TECHNOLOGY
mission is to accelerate global adoption of energy storage by
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commercializing our advanced, cost-disruptive ywheel

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
technology to provide a lower cost and higher performing
alternative to fossil fuel generation. SAFETY

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