Design and Techno-Economic Feasibility Study of a Solar-Powered EV Charging Station in Egypt
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Equations for Modeling in HOMER Grid
2.2. Study Limitations
3. Results and Discussion
- PV + Storage (Li-ion Battery) + TOU;
- PV + Generator + TOU;
- Generator + ESS (Li-ion Battery) + TOU;
- Generator + TOU.
- LCOE: Assesses cost per
- IRR: Measures investment profitability.
- PV investment costs;
- Battery storage costs;
- Electricity price variations;
- Carbon penalty policies;
- Impact of PV Investment Cost
- b
- Impact of Battery Storage Cost
- A 30% decrease in battery cost reduces NPC by 7.6%, lowering total investment.
- Payback time improves, making ESS more financially attractive.
- LCOE impact is moderate, indicating that battery cost is not as dominant as PV cost in overall system feasibility.
- c
- Effect of Electricity Price Variations
- Higher electricity prices improve annual savings, reducing the payback period.
- A price increase reduces payback to 4.5 years, accelerating investment returns.
- d
- Impact of Carbon Penalty Policies
- Higher carbon prices make renewable systems more competitive.
- A CO2 price reduces LCOE to , enhancing financial viability.
- PV costs have the strongest impact on LCOE and overall savings. A PV cost reduction lowers LCOE by
- Carbon penalties make PV-ESS more attractive, improving financial performance.
- The current study, carried out in Egypt, demonstrates the highest emissions reduction (>75%) among all regions compared, with an LCOE in line with prior Egyptian and international benchmarks and the shortest payback period (5.8 years).
- TOU played a significant role in improving economic returns in the current research.
- International studies validate that hybrid systems with strong solar resource access and dynamic policy support consistently lead to superior financial and environmental outcomes.
- In the case of the USA, payback periods stretch when incentives or carbon penalties are removed; this further underscores the policy context’s importance.
4. Conclusions and Future Work
4.1. Conclusions
4.2. Future Work
- Scalability and expansion: Evaluation of how this model can be used in Egypt and other areas outside, especially in areas with high solar capacity.
- Advanced ESS solutions: Further increasing the system’s efficiency in order to verify the capabilities of the next generation of battery technologies, such as solid-state batteries and hydrogen storage.
- Politics and incentive analysis: Investigation of the effect of state grants, carbon credit, and input collection for the economic attraction of solar-driven EVCs.
- Integration with smart grids: Exploring the potential for and applications, enabling EVs to serve as distributed energy storage units.
Author Contributions
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
References
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System | LCOE | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PV + ESS | |||||
PV + Generator | - | ||||
Generator + ESS | - | ||||
Generator Only | - |
Parameter | PV + ESS | PV + Generator | Generator + ESS | Generator Only |
---|---|---|---|---|
NPC | ||||
LCOE () | ||||
IRR | - | - | - | |
AnnualSavings |
PV Cost Reduction (%) | NPC (USD) | LCOE (USD/kWh) | IRR (%) |
---|---|---|---|
0% (Baseline) | 3,248,125 | 0.346 | 8.2 |
10% | 3,125,000 | 0.310 | 9.5 |
20% | 2,980,000 | 0.280 | 10.8 |
30% | 2,800,000 | 0.250 | 12.3 |
Battery Cost Change (%) | NPC (USD) | LCOE (USD/kWh) | Payback Period (yrs) |
---|---|---|---|
−30% (Lower Cost) | 3,000,000 | 0.325 | 5.5 |
Baseline (0%) | 3,248,125 | 0.346 | 5.8 |
+30% (Higher Cost) | 3,500,000 | 0.370 | 6.4 |
Electricity Price Increase (%) | Annual Savings (USD) | Payback Period (yrs) |
---|---|---|
0% (Baseline) | 409,326 | 5.8 |
5% | 450,000 | 5.2 |
10% | 500,000 | 4.9 |
20% | 620,000 | 4.5 |
Carbon Price (USD/ton) | CO2 Reduction (t/yr) | Annual Savings (USD) | LCOE (USD/kWh) |
---|---|---|---|
0 (Baseline) | 465.3 | 409,326 | 0.346 |
20 | 465.3 | 500,000 | 0.310 |
50 | 465.3 | 610,000 | 0.280 |
100 | 465.3 | 750,000 | 0.250 |
Study Region | Best Configuration | Emissions Reduction | LCOE (USD/kWh) | Payback Period (yrs) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Egypt (Current study) | PV + ESS (Li-ion Battery) + TOU | >75% | 0.15–0.25 | 5.8 years |
Egypt [25] | PV + ESS (Li-ion) | >70% | 0.15–0.25 | 6–8 years |
Turkey [17] | PV + Wind + ESS | 60–80% | 0.064 | 5–9 years |
Sweden [18] | PV workplace charging | 68% | 0.13–0.20 | 8 years |
Indonesia [28] | Grid-connected PV for urban EVCS | Up to 75% | 0.18–0.23 | 7 years |
West Virginia (USA) [29] | PV + ESS (with policy incentives) | 40–60% | 0.21–0.28 | +10 years |
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Elkholy, M.M.; Abd El-Raouf, A.; Farahat, M.A.; Lotfy, M.E. Design and Techno-Economic Feasibility Study of a Solar-Powered EV Charging Station in Egypt. Electricity 2025, 6, 50. https://doi.org/10.3390/electricity6030050
Elkholy MM, Abd El-Raouf A, Farahat MA, Lotfy ME. Design and Techno-Economic Feasibility Study of a Solar-Powered EV Charging Station in Egypt. Electricity. 2025; 6(3):50. https://doi.org/10.3390/electricity6030050
Chicago/Turabian StyleElkholy, Mahmoud M., Ashraf Abd El-Raouf, Mohamed A. Farahat, and Mohammed Elsayed Lotfy. 2025. "Design and Techno-Economic Feasibility Study of a Solar-Powered EV Charging Station in Egypt" Electricity 6, no. 3: 50. https://doi.org/10.3390/electricity6030050
APA StyleElkholy, M. M., Abd El-Raouf, A., Farahat, M. A., & Lotfy, M. E. (2025). Design and Techno-Economic Feasibility Study of a Solar-Powered EV Charging Station in Egypt. Electricity, 6(3), 50. https://doi.org/10.3390/electricity6030050