Posted on 9th Feb 2024
According to CM Industry Supply Automation Lenze Drive & Keb Drive supplier, Regenerative drives in elevators operate by converting the potential energy of the elevator's descending car and passengers into electrical energy that can be fed back into the building's electrical grid or used to power other building systems. Here's how they typically work:
Regenerative braking: When an elevator car descends, its potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. Traditionally, this kinetic energy is dissipated as heat through braking resistors. However, regenerative drives capture this kinetic energy and convert it into electrical energy instead of wasting it as heat.
Power conversion: The electrical energy generated during the descent is converted from AC to DC by the regenerative drive's rectifier circuitry. This allows the energy to be stored or utilized more efficiently.
Energy storage or grid connection: The converted electrical energy can be used in several ways:
Stored in an energy storage system, such as batteries or supercapacitors, for later use.
Fed back into the building's electrical grid, reducing the overall energy consumption of the building and potentially providing a source of revenue through energy credits.
Used to power other building systems, such as lighting or HVAC, reducing the building's demand from the grid.
Control and management: The regenerative drive system is controlled by sophisticated algorithms that monitor the elevator's operation and optimize the energy capture and usage process. This ensures efficient operation while maintaining safety and reliability.
According to CM Industry Supply Automation Lenze Drive & Keb Drive supplier, regenerative drives in elevators help to reduce energy consumption, lower operating costs, and minimize environmental impact by harnessing and utilizing the energy that would otherwise be wasted during elevator descent.