Techno-Economic Feasibility and Environmental Assessment of a Grid-Connected PV System for EV Charging in Brunei Darussalam

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are increasingly becoming popular globally due to their environmental benefits and sustainability. However, electric vehicles are charged by the electricity generated primarily by natural gas, which defeats the purpose of having EVs to reduce carbon emissions. Additionally, adding charging stations for EVs can burden the grid and potentially disrupt load demand. This research aimed to study the effectiveness of a solar-powered EV charging station in Brunei Darussalam. The study analyzed the collected data in terms of technical, economic, and environmental aspects. It found that a 10-kW photovoltaic (PV) system can produce between 3.91 and 4.57 kWh/kWp in a day. The average performance ratio and system efficiency are 0.78 and 16.9%, respectively. When assessing the economic feasibility under the selected conditions, due to the extremely cheap electricity cost in the country and the high initial investment cost, integration of PV would be beneficial mainly for residential buildings with more than 3000 kWh consumption per month and the charging would be free of cost with zero emission. On the contrary, under the commercial tariff system, the payback period of the commercial solar-powered EV charging station is 4.6 years, and the ROI is 81.72%. In addition to that, using a PV system for charging can eliminate carbon emissions.