3 ms·

>"Our patented technology is based on a simple principle: raising and lowering a heavy weight to store and release energy. The Gravitricity system suspends weig

>"Our patented technology is based on a simple principle: raising and lowering a heavy weight to store and release energy. The Gravitricity system suspends weights of 500 - 5000 tonnes in a deep shaft by a number of cables, each of which is engaged with a winch capable of lifting its share of the weight. Electrical power is then absorbed or generated by raising or lowering the weight." Idea: Could elevators be retrofitted with something like this? Then they could use/store energy only while going up, and regenerate some of it going down... and take passengers to various floors while doing that! "The Regenerative Elevator"! Stores energy going up, regenerates some of it while going down! Invented here on Hacker News, by yours truly, 9/8/2020! (Yes, I know, it's a stupid related idea! <g>. But my other related idea was more stupid, and that one was to fill up a U-Haul truck with trash, put a steel cable on it, find a hill, and use the steel cable (in conjunction with the overweighted U-Haul truck and hill!) to drive a motor/generator/winch assembly that uses electricity going up the hill, and regenerates some of it back, going down the hill... <g>) On a serious note however (for non-passenger elevator energy storage), I think Gravitricity has a good idea, and I wish them much success with it!

orthecreedence 6y ago
> Idea: Could elevators be retrofitted with something like this? I think it would not work so well because they have counterweights to make the up-down operation much easier. If you remove the counterweight, it would store energy, but be prohibitively slow when going up and probably frighteningly fast going down. Regarding the uhaul, this is not too far off from other people mentioning driving a train uphill and letting it fall downhill to generate electricity. Interesting ideas.
hoytech 6y ago
I'm not sure if you are joking or not, but regenerative elevators exist, and have existed for over 100 years: > DC-driven winding-drum elevators—the leading design until the 1930s—use a DC motor in the basement that winds and unwinds the elevator’s steel cable on a steel drum, thus lifting and lowering the car from pulleys atop the elevator shaft. DC drive was the only way to go at the time for a speedy elevator, because only DC could deliver variable-speed operation for smooth starts and stops. The DC motors were also energy efficient, capable of something that has only recently become possible with modern elevator designs: regenerating power when the elevator descends. https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-history/dawn-of-electronics/san-franciscos-secret-dc-grid https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-history/dawn-of-electronics/s...

orthecreedence 6y ago

> Idea: Could elevators be retrofitted with something like this? I think it would not work so well because they have counterweights to make the up-down operation much easier. If you remove the counterweight, it would store energy, but be prohibitively slow when going up and probably frighteningly fast going down. Regarding the uhaul, this is not too far off from other people mentioning driving a train uphill and letting it fall downhill to generate electricity. Interesting ideas.

hoytech 6y ago

I'm not sure if you are joking or not, but regenerative elevators exist, and have existed for over 100 years: > DC-driven winding-drum elevators—the leading design until the 1930s—use a DC motor in the basement that winds and unwinds the elevator’s steel cable on a steel drum, thus lifting and lowering the car from pulleys atop the elevator shaft. DC drive was the only way to go at the time for a speedy elevator, because only DC could deliver variable-speed operation for smooth starts and stops. The DC motors were also energy efficient, capable of something that has only recently become possible with modern elevator designs: regenerating power when the elevator descends. https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-history/dawn-of-electronics/san-franciscos-secret-dc-grid https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-history/dawn-of-electronics/s...