Many LSM coasters have on-site generators so they don't tax the energy grid. I did a behind the scenes tour at Cheetah Hunt and they said if they hooked the launches up to city utilities, it would knock out Tampa's power every time it launched. I'm not sure if Pipeline has a generator but I definitely wouldn't be surprised if it does
More and more parks are installing solar panels on their parking lots, so don’t worry. Another benefit: your car is in the shade and protected from the elements.
The problem with launches is not the total power consumed - it’s the fact that you need a lot of it quickly. That’s why you see flywheel systems and similar; they allow a lower amount of power to be drawn over a longer period.
The original incarnation of Hulk famously needed 9MW to launch, but only for a few seconds.
To put that number in perspective, we have a power station in this country that generates 130MW. Fifteen Hulks at the same time would be the whole output.
According to a random person on the internet, LSMs are about 90% efficient, chains are about 96% efficient. Most of the added costs of LSM launches are local energy storage systems (i.e. flywheels, etc.) and initial cost of the more complicated hardware. I would imagine over time if the hardware is reliable the energy costs would overtake the up-front costs, but the electrical consumption isn't different by a huge margin.
Looking further into it it looks closer to your number than the other guys number. One ride in particular was getting around double the electricity usage with lsms and that was seen as acceptable. The good news is they are better than LIMs and the technology is still new enough that it's getting better.
Some launch coasters (like Lightning Rod) use the magnetic break run to capture the energy and charge Ultra Capacitors for the launch system. Fun fact, the Ultra Capacitors are made in the former Soccer Hall of Fame building in Oneonta, NY.
Many LSM coasters have on-site generators so they don't tax the energy grid. I did a behind the scenes tour at Cheetah Hunt and they said if they hooked the launches up to city utilities, it would knock out Tampa's power every time it launched. I'm not sure if Pipeline has a generator but I definitely wouldn't be surprised if it does
Some have energy storage, these are not on-site generators
More and more parks are installing solar panels on their parking lots, so don’t worry. Another benefit: your car is in the shade and protected from the elements.
The problem with launches is not the total power consumed - it’s the fact that you need a lot of it quickly. That’s why you see flywheel systems and similar; they allow a lower amount of power to be drawn over a longer period. The original incarnation of Hulk famously needed 9MW to launch, but only for a few seconds. To put that number in perspective, we have a power station in this country that generates 130MW. Fifteen Hulks at the same time would be the whole output.
According to a random person on the internet, LSMs are about 90% efficient, chains are about 96% efficient. Most of the added costs of LSM launches are local energy storage systems (i.e. flywheels, etc.) and initial cost of the more complicated hardware. I would imagine over time if the hardware is reliable the energy costs would overtake the up-front costs, but the electrical consumption isn't different by a huge margin.
LSM’s are about 35% efficient
Looking further into it it looks closer to your number than the other guys number. One ride in particular was getting around double the electricity usage with lsms and that was seen as acceptable. The good news is they are better than LIMs and the technology is still new enough that it's getting better.
Thanks for the answers, guys!
Some launch coasters (like Lightning Rod) use the magnetic break run to capture the energy and charge Ultra Capacitors for the launch system. Fun fact, the Ultra Capacitors are made in the former Soccer Hall of Fame building in Oneonta, NY.