Decrease of the Maximum Speed in Highway Tunnels as a Measure to Foster Energy Savings and Sustainability

Antonio Peña-García, Ferdinando Salata and Iacopo Golasi
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Antonio Peña-García: Department of Civil Engineering & Research Group “Lighting Technology for Safety and Sustainability”, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Ferdinando Salata: DIAEE—Area FisicaTecnica, UniversitàdegliStudi di Roma “Sapienza”, 00184 Roma, Italy
Iacopo Golasi: DIAEE—Area FisicaTecnica, UniversitàdegliStudi di Roma “Sapienza”, 00184 Roma, Italy

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 4, 1-11

Abstract: The high energy consumption of the lighting installations in highway tunnels has become a hot topic in the last few years due to the high figures in terms of money, consumed energy, use of raw materials, emissions of greenhouse gases due to the remarkable number of manufactured elements, and maintenance, among others. In spite of the different strategies proposed up to date and their savings, the potential benefits of decreasing the maximum speed allowed in tunnels have not been considered in depth as a complementary measure yet. In this work, the impact of such a decrease in terms of energy consumption, number projectors, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions, and yearly costs in energy is analyzed and discussed. The results strongly suggest the convenience of introducing maximum speed reduction in traffic regulations which, in addition, could create positive synergies with traffic safety.

Keywords: lighting; energy savings; tunnels; environmental impact; road safety; CO 2 emissions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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