Energy saving in road tunnels by means of transparent tension structures

Abstract

The high and constant rate of energy

consumption in road tunnels has led researchers to look for

more and more efficient lamps and luminaries. The solutions

developed have partially contributed to energy saving but

consumption is still high, specially in the threshold zone which

requires very high levels of luminance, and the solutions found

still have important contras like colour performance. In this

work, we present a completely different solution: the extension

of the “threshold zone” out of the tunnel by means of a

transparent tension structure to let visible solar radiation go into

the tunnel and achieve the required levels of luminance during

daytime without any kind of electrical lighting.