Rubbish learn some physics
Potential energy is added to the elevator cab from energy sources in orbit or on the ground, no PE is drawn from the elevator itself. This is the point of the elevator, the cab does not need to carry its own energy source and can recover the PE required to climb out of the gravity well when it falls via regenerative braking. Rockets and jets have to carry their own energy sources as well as a reaction mass. Most of a rocket is reaction mass/fuel and the hardware to manage it. In fact if more mass is imported from space than is exported the elevator transport would be a net energy generator.
While we are fanatsizing, laminate supercondutor on the surface of the elevator and plasma coat that with reflective material. The resulting structure should be effectively immune to thermal shock from laser or other sources and provide a handy way to deliver power to the ground.
Locating the elevator in a remote location is daft. That is like locating a major seaport, airport, rail and road terminus (same thing really) in a remote location. The only results are to pollute the remote location to inconvenience all the staff and users who have to relocate to the remote location and add to the construction cost.
