Schindler Launches Solar-Powered Elevator, Helps Solar Impulse Project
MORRISTOWN, N.J. — Schindler, a global elevator and escalator provider located in Morristown, used its expertise to launch a solar-powered elevator system on April 2, as well as provide support for Solar Impulse, the first zero fuel airplane project, to take flight in early May.
The Schindler Solar Elevator is a hybrid system designed to supply up to 100 percent of the elevator’s power needs, using energy from rooftop solar panels and a proprietary Hybrid Energy Manager (HEM) that stores solar energy in batteries until needed. Backup power needs are provided by a one-phase grid connection, which is easier and less costly to install and operate than the standard three-phase connection. The elevator system uses a standard Schindler 3300 gearless machine room-less elevator and is up to 60 percent more energy efficient than hydraulic elevators.
The elevator is largely inspired by Schindler’s partnership with the Solar Impulse project, a zero fuel airplane aiming to fly around the world using only solar energy. Solar Impulse HB-SIA is the first aircraft designed to fly without fuel or polluting emissions. Seven years of testing by a 70-person team and 80 partners went into building the aircraft, which has the wingspan of an Airbus A340 (63.4 meters) and the weight of an average family car. About 12,000 solar cells are integrated into the wing, feeding renewable energy to the four electric motors with a maximum power of 10 HP each and also charging the lithium-polymer batteries during the day, which allows the aircraft to fly at night.
The plane’s North American mission flights begin on May 1, when it will take off from Moffett Airport located outside San Francisco and fly to Phoenix, Dallas, Atlanta, New York City and Washington, D.C. The plane will stay in each city for about seven to 10 days so that the pilots can display and discuss the aircraft with audiences.
In 2010, the plane flew non-stop for 26 hours to demonstrate its use of solar power. The plane is designed to showcase this potential, but can’t replace fuel-powered commercial flights due to its vulnerability to bad weather. It’s a single-seat plane that goes 40 miles per hour and can’t fly through clouds, according to an article in The Huffington Post. The lessons learned from the HB-SIA are being applied in the construction of Solar Impulse HB-SIB, which is scheduled to fly around the world in 2015.
The Solar Impulse team is developing targeted innovations to improve the robustness of materials, while reducing their weight, hopefully leading to significant reductions in energy consumption, which in elevators accounts for one of the largest parts of their environmental impact.