5 ms·
Elevators are counterbalanced -- when they are going down, there is a counterweight going up. So there's less energy than you might imagine being generated.
by oaktowner 8y ago
Elevators are counterbalanced -- when they are going down, there is a counterweight going up. So there's less energy than you might imagine being generated.
- StavrosK 8y agoI know, but I can imagine that they would still generate some energy in a busy building. Then again, I don't really know how much energy they consume.
- Scaevolus 8y agoRegenerative braking elevators exist: https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/elevators/what-makes-an-elevator-green https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/elevators/w... has a good summary. Having lived in a 17-story building with Thyssen-Krupp "green elevators", they're terrible! An elevator would break down and require days of maintenance every couple months, greatly increasing queueing times.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- bunderbunder 8y agoMoving the elevator down would only take potential energy out of the system when the elevator together with its load weighs more than the counterweight. When it does, you might be able to use it to generate electricity. But I wouldn't be surprised if that isn't done simply because it wouldn't justify the added cost and complexity of building all that extra energy harvesting mechanism into the elevator.