Temporal Power

About Temporal Power

Temporal Power Ltd. was a Canadian company specializing in the development and manufacturing of flywheel-based energy storage systems. The company was co-founded by CEO Cameron Carver, a technology entrepreneur, and CTO Jeffrey Veltri, the inventor of the company's core technology. Veltri, a mechanical engineer with prior experience in consulting and as a tradesman, conceived the initial breakthrough bearing invention in his garage while exploring ways to reduce electricity costs. He identified that mechanical flywheel batteries do not degrade from repeated charging and discharging, a significant advantage over chemical batteries. Carver brought over 15 years of experience as a technology entrepreneur and management consultant focused on clean technologies.

The firm's primary business was providing high-performance energy storage solutions to utilities, power generators, and industrial clients. Its flywheel technology acted as a mechanical battery, storing electricity as kinetic energy by spinning a large steel mass at high speeds. This stored energy could be rapidly discharged back to the electrical grid to balance supply and demand, particularly to smooth out the intermittency of renewable energy sources like wind and solar power. The system functioned like a shock absorber for the grid, either inserting or absorbing power within milliseconds to maintain frequency and improve power quality. This rapid response capability meant that grid operators needed to procure less of this service, leading to cost savings.

Temporal Power's product was an all-steel flywheel system. Each module consisted of a 4,000-kilogram steel rotor spinning up to 12,000 RPM in a vacuum-sealed chamber to reduce friction. A key feature was the use of proprietary magnetic bearings, which minimized friction and enabled a mechanical efficiency of 97%. This design allowed for twice the energy capacity and five times the power output of competing commercial flywheels at the time. The flywheels could store energy and also help reduce demand charges for industrial customers by reusing energy in systems like mine hoists. The company had notable projects, including a 2 MW storage array in Minto, Ontario, which was Canada's first grid-connected commercial flywheel facility, and a 5 MW system in Aruba to support their goal of a renewables-based grid. Despite its advancements and projects with major utilities like Hydro One, the company eventually went out of business, as indicated by PitchBook records in August 2020.