Survey of the effects originating from the integration of a new regenerative braking system in electric lifts' drives

In the frame of LESS project, funded by the NSRF 2007–2013, a new regenerative braking system for elevators has been designed and prototyped. The main feature of this system is that it is controlled by a fuzzy controller, accommodating its integration to a wide range of commercial inverter drives for lifts. In the present work, an extended analysis is presented, for the possibility to interconnect the regenerative braking system to a local microgrid, emphasizing on the effects that may emerge to the design and the normal operation of both the microgrid and the braking system. Moreover, the impact of this newly developed braking system will be assessed, in terms of driving system power quality at its connection point with the distribution network. Simulation and experimental results are presented, confirming the main outcomes of this work.