Feasibility Study of a Solar-Powered Electric Vehicle Charging Station Model

Abstract

In China, the power sector is currently the largest carbon emitter and the transportation sector is the fastest-growing carbon emitter. This paper proposes a model of solar-powered charging stations for electric vehicles to mitigate problems encountered in China's renewable energy utilization processes and to cope with the increasing power demand by electric vehicles for the near future. This study applies the proposed model to Shenzhen City to verify its technical and economic feasibility. Modeling results showed that the total net present value of a photovoltaic power charging station that meets the daily electricity demand of 4500 kWh is $3,579,236 and that the cost of energy of the combined energy system is $0.098/kWh. In addition, the photovoltaic powered electric vehicle model has pollutant reduction potentials of 99.8%, 99.7% and 100% for carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, respectively, compared with a traditional gasoline-fueled car. Sensitivity analysis results indicated that interest rate has a relatively strong influence on COE (Cost of Energy). An increase in the interest rate from 0% to 6% increases COE from $0.027/kWh to $0.097/kWh. This analysis also suggests that carbon pricing promotes renewable energy only when the price of carbon is above $20/t.

Designing a Sustainable University Recharge Area for Electric Vehicles: Technical and Economic Analysis

“…It might be useful to produce the energy needed to recharge the EVs [6][7][8]. The problem is how to correctly size the PV plant.…”

“…Different papers have faced the problem of electrical recharging from different points of view. As reported in [8], existing studies can be divided into four categories according to their purposes.…”

“…In this way, there is the attempt to reduce the EVs required power from the power grid. An economic evaluation model that attests to the ecological and economic benefits of reducing emissions by the use of locally produced photovoltaic energy is presented in [8]. These provisional studies are very important in the cases of strong development of demand for EVs.…”

“…A fifth type of research that could be added to the list of [8] is incentive policies of the different countries and the user perception of EVs.…”

Scenario Analysis of Carbon Emissions of China’s Electric Power Industry Up to 2030

“…Thus, energy conservation and emission reduction will to become an essential way for the achievement of the sustainable development of human society. As the largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world [3,4], China has pledged that in 2020 the carbon emission intensity per Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will be lower than that of 2005 by 40%~45%, and the proportion of non-fossil energy in the primary energy mix will be increased to 15% [5]. According to the statistics of International Energy Agency (IEA), in 2010 CO 2 emissions from the production of China's electric power and thermal energy reached 35.8 million tons, accounting for 49.3% of the total CO 2 emissions [6].…”