Abstract:

The transition from conventional centralized energy production to a distributed one may represent one of the solutions to reduce greenhouses emissions. The present work proposes a novel approach for energy and environmental issues related to the high density of vehicular traffic for shopping centers by introducing photovoltaic panels and electric vehicles into the energy system. To achieve such a goal, a specific case study was developed for the main shopping centers located in the Campania Region, South of Italy. Two well-known simulation platforms, EnergyPLAN and TRNSYS, were purposely integrated. TRNSYS is used to develop a dynamic shopping model, and the outputs were used as EnergyPLAN inputs to evaluate the role that this sustainable layout can play within the different sectors. Environmental, energy, and economic analyses are performed for three scenarios, including the baseline at 2019, 2030, and 2050. The proposed system can cover about 45.7 % of the shopping centre's electric demand. At a regional scale, in the 2050 scenario, the yearly reduction of CO2 and energy consumption are 42.0 kt and 160.0 GW h, respectively. The economic results show a Simple PayBack of 2 years and a Profit Index of 5.4.