Dissipating surplus solar photovoltaics capacity from Net-Zero energy buildings to electric vehicle charging stations in nearby parking Lots: A study in New York City

Abstract

Achieving net-zero energy (NZE) in buildings involves laying down photovoltaics (PV) over large building areas, and the issue of dissipating surplus PV capacity has been a challenge. With the popularity of electric vehicles (EVs), parking lots attached to buildings offer such a possible solution. In order to assess the possibility of applying PV surplus power to electric vehicle charging stations (EVCSs) in parking lots, a workflow based on the p-center model was developed in this study using scenario analysis. Considering New York City as the research focus, 100 buildings satisfying the prescribed criteria were screened. Subsequently, the potential of the parking facilities of the selected buildings was evaluated for dissipating surplus PV capacity, focusing on achieving both NZE and green power goals. The results show that the NZE goal is achieved between 3 % and 13 %, while the GP goal is determined as 20 %. The shape factor of the buildings and the goal completion rate from the four clusters reflect the improvements in the four types of parking lots. The average reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the five PV installation scenarios was 67.10, 112.94, 147.41, 171.00, and 187.24 MTCO2e, with an average payback period of 0.71, 1.87, 2.21, 2.47, and 2.22 years, respectively. In addition, 13 samples met the NZE goal, and 29 samples met the GP goal, representing 13 % and 29 % of the sample size sample, respectively. The study confirms the advantages of the building-to-vehicle-to-building (B2V2B) model, and the results can be used as a tool and reference for formulating PV development strategies in cities.