Quote:
Originally Posted by RedDevil
There's been research if one could gain back electricity from elevators by making them go up empty and down fully loaded. But it isn't, the sheer weight of the cabin, cables and counterweight and the friction over the wheels and motor cause losses any way.
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Properly counter weighted, an empty elevator can ascend with little use of electricity. However, add passengers, and going up needs more energy or more counterweights. If weights could be connected and disconnected as needed, every passenger load could be equally counter weighted. Probably the most efficient counterweights would be water gravity piped from a source above the top floor, and dumped for up trips. No need to return the water to the top.
Possibly, flowing water could run a water turbine to lift the elevator through reduction gears, and the source need not be above the top floor.