Madrid installs cool bus shelters
19th July 2024
SPAIN: Madrid’s municipal bus company EMT has installed bus shelters with in-built cooling systems at two locations in the city.
Located in the intermodal areas of Pavones and Villaverde Cruce, the shelters are developed and patented by French company JCDecaux. The shelter has a button located inside it that, at 25ºC, starts an evaporative cooling and ventilation system. The system is said to be capable of significantly reducing the ambient temperature in the shelter by up to 9ºC depending on the outside temperature.
The shelter features a water tank and an evaporative air cooling module, as well as a photovoltaic panel that supplies the shelter with solar energy.
Hot air entering the shelter flows through a wet honeycomb-shaped panel. It is then cooled naturally by evaporation. This solution includes a tank to gather rainwater from the roof and a system to pipe the water to the cooling module.
If there is no wind, fans blow the hot air through the wall. The cool air is then blown towards users waiting in the shelter. Solar panels on the roof produce the energy required. The real-time control system detects weather conditions and human presence in the shelter in order to function efficiently and only when required.
