What if you had an elevator system that recovers electricity and allows you to use it in your building? The KONE regenerative drive system gives you this option.
Elevators in motion develop energy that has to be consumed or dissipated elsewhere. It used to be that during the different phases when elevators brake, the excess energy was fed to the resistors, which increased heat in the shaft. But KONE engineers figured out a way to use regenerative drives to convert the excess energy into electricity that is delivered back into the building’s power network, to be used elsewhere. What this means for building owners and managers is real savings in energy costs.
“KONE has delivered regenerative drives to high-rise elevators since the 1980s,” explains Arvo Pakarinen, the area offering manager in Europe. He says that in tall buildings, converting the energy is really important because the excess capacity is so big that it is impractical to transfer the heat to the resistors.
Thanks to advances in technology, KONE can nowadays install regenerative drives in all of its KONE MonoSpace® and KONE MiniSpace® elevators. The technology is affordable and suitable for many kinds of buildings. It is installed in new elevators and modernizations, alike. “You can get energy savings when adding a regenerative option to an existing AC motor,” notes Pakarinen.
A top-quality comfortable ride
KONE regenerative drives are designed to work with all kinds of motors, but especially with KONE EcoDisc® motors. The drives use something called Modulated Line Bridge technology to supply energy back to the building’s power network. No additional devices are needed.
Depending on a building’s height, along with the elevator speed and load, KONE regenerative drives can recover up to one-third of an elevator’s total energy consumption.
“KONE regenerative solutions also offer top-quality ride comfort, a pleasant user experience with less vibrations and accurate stopping on the designated floor,” adds Pakarinen.
World leader in energy efficiency
KONE is the first company to offer regenerative drives to all users, helping to set the industry standard in energy-efficient solutions that lower life-time costs without compromising quality. The solution is also ideal for customers looking to reach environmental ratings.
For now, regenerative drives are used mostly in high-rise buildings, but look for this to change.
“As information on the benefits of these systems expands, customers are more and more interested. I anticipate that in some three years, 80–90 percent of all new elevators will use regenerative drives,” estimates Pakarinen.
What are regenerative drives?
KONE regenerative drives continuously supply energy back to the building’s power network during the braking phase. They can recover up to 30 percent of an elevator’s total energy consumption.
This technology was first used in high-rise buildings in the 1980s and is now available in low- and mid-size buildings, as well. KONE’s solution is suitable for many building types and for both new installations and modernizations. KONE can install regenerative drives in all of its KONE MonoSpace® and KONE MiniSpace® elevators. KONE regenerative drive technology is ideal for customers looking to target LEED, EU GreenBuilding or BREEAM environmental ratings. The technology shows KONE’s ongoing leadership in elevator technology that is eco-efficient without sacrificing passenger comfort.