As the U.S. member body to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) seeks comments by June 30 on a draft proposal for a new ISO technical committee on mechanical energy storage technology.

Submitted by the Standardization Administration of China (SAC), the proposal includes the following scope statement:

Standardization in the field of mechanical energy storage (MES) technology including terminology, components, functions, design, safety, testing, construction, and maintenance of mechanical energy storage devices. It focuses on the mechanical and physical aspects of mechanical energy storage technology and equipment.

According to the proposal, “Mechanical energy storage is an important energy storage solution with unique advantages and development prospects, which can help transform into a green and low-carbon energy structure and shift towards a net-zero future.” To that end, no specific technical committee exists within ISO or the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) to prepare relevant standards for MES.

The proposal also notes that there are many standards for mechanical energy storage to be prepared, including:

• the standardization of new gravity energy storage, including classification, site selection and planning, and exceptional structural performance on the operation of MES.
• the standardization of flywheel energy storage, including mechanical hazard protection, mechanical vibration, operating environment, flywheel material, performance requirements, and evaluation.
• the standardization of compressed air energy storage, including site planning when using abandoned mines or caves, design of complex and efficient systems, technical requirements of turbo-expander, acceptance, and maintenance; and
• general characteristics to compare solutions and their overall performance, and technical requirements of the intelligent control system.

Read the proposal and submit comments to Steven Cornish, ANSI senior director of international policy and strategy, at scornish@ansi.org by close of business on Friday, June 30. Based on input received from U.S. stakeholders, ANSI will develop a recommended ANSI position and any comments for approval by the ANSI ISO Council before ISO’s voting deadline of August 16.

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