G&W Electric's vanadium flow + flywheel microgrid matched a full year of frequency regulation revenue in under three months

Vanadium flow batteries rarely anchor a commercial microgrid, but G&W Electric built one around a solar, battery, and flywheel system at its Bolingbrook, Illinois headquarters. John Gounaris, VP of Global Marketing, and John Pederson, Principal Staff Engineer and the project's manager, walk Tim Montague through the build.

G&W Electric manufactures switches, reclosers, and grid automation gear used across US utility grids, and its 121-year-old campus needed resilient power to protect production. The project runs on Intelligent Generation's earn, save, protect framework: earn through frequency regulation, save on capacity charges, protect with backup power. Tim presses the guests on capex, opex, and why they skipped lithium-ion.

The conversation covers real storm performance in 2026, revenue swings, and how domestic vanadium sourcing shaped the battery choice.

Gounaris and Pederson explain the choices behind one of the few flywheel microgrids in operation:

• Why did G&W skip lithium-ion for a vanadium flow battery?
• How does a flywheel hold full building load for 62 seconds?
• What earned G&W more in 10 weeks than all last year?
• How much of an industrial bill do capacity charges reach?
• Which US source supplied the vanadium, and why does it matter?
• How did the microgrid perform during the 2026 Chicago storms?

Connect with Guests

John Gounaris | LinkedIn

John Pederson | LinkedIn

G&W Electric | Innovative Power Grid Solutions & Electrical Systems

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