What's the ROI for Regen Drives?

Dec. 10, 2012

We never seriously considered line regen braking on our centrifuge systems (VFD-driven ac motors) because of initial cost. We dump the energy to choppers. We're being told that partly because of hybrid car advances and demands in industries with high energy consumption, it's become much more cost-effective. There's interest in both new installations and refit projects. What can anyone tell me about ROI these days to use regen drives?

We never seriously considered line regen braking on our centrifuge systems (VFD-driven ac motors) because of initial cost. We dump the energy to choppers. We're being told that partly because of hybrid car advances and demands in industries with high energy consumption, it's become much more cost-effective. There's interest in both new installations and refit projects. What can anyone tell me about ROI these days to use regen drives?

Send us your comments, suggestions or solutions for this problem. We'll include it in the February '13 issue. You can comment here or email us at [email protected]. Please include your company, location and title in the response.