With the replacement of the motor for the Crap Masegn cable car, WAG has achieved a further increase in energy efficiency. The old Ward-Leonard drive for the cable car to the Crap Masegn mountain station has been replaced by an efficient drive system. As part of this, not only the converter but also the motor has been replaced.
The motor is a 500 kW motor that meets the latest efficiency requirements. Thanks to this replacement, electricity consumption can be reduced by a total of 84 MWh (84,000 kWh) per year, which corresponds to around 30% of the cable car's total consumption. This is more than the solar system on the roof of cable car 1 at the Laax Murschetg valley station produces per year (around 70,000 kWh). Converted, this would allow around 60 electric cars to drive 12,000 km CO2-free per year.
Motor technologies have undergone continuous change in recent years. More efficient, powerful, and reliable motors have come onto the market. The Weisse Arena Group replaced its old motor in order to benefit from these technological advances. These investments pay off not only in terms of energy efficiency, but also financially. The cost of converting the frequency converter and motor is around CHF 600,000. The resulting annual electricity savings amount to CHF 12,500. Taking into account a service life of 25 years, this results in total electricity savings of 1,500 MWh.
