This makes me wonder, why don't elevators generate electricity on the way down?
When it does, you might be able to use it to generate electricity. But I wouldn't be surprised if that isn't done simply because it wouldn't justify the added cost and complexity of building all that extra energy harvesting mechanism into the elevator.
Having lived in a 17-story building with Thyssen-Krupp "green elevators", they're terrible! An elevator would break down and require days of maintenance every couple months, greatly increasing queueing times.