Techno-economic and environmental assessment of a Renewable Energy Community based on PV canopies for electric vehicle charging hubs

Urban EV charging hubs can support transport decarbonization, but their growing electricity demand may be harmful for grid operation if not coordinated with local renewable generation. PV canopies offer a land-efficient way to produce solar electricity in existing parking areas; however, their high structural costs and the limited evidence on their integration in Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) restrain their real-world applicability. To overcome these issues, this study presents an enviro-economic analysis of the integration of PV canopies in EV charging hubs operated within a REC. A simulation framework is developed for eleven parking lots in Milan, Italy, combining PV generation, probabilistic EV charging profiles from an Italian BEV/PHEV fleet database, annual CO2 emissions, REC incentives, and selected economic indicators. Different PV sizes, charging power levels, and operating configurations with and without the establishment of a REC are compared, including a sensitivity analysis based on future EV demand growth. The results show that PV canopies improve profitability and reduce the environmental impact of EV charging hubs, while REC operation further increases value. Quantitatively, PV deployment increases NPV from a range of 4.54–5.00 M€ baseline to 7.20–14.50 M€ and reduces annual emissions from a range of 845–954 to 485–762 tCO2eq; with REC operation, NPV ranges from 7.47 to 15.60 M€ and emissions decrease to a range of 317–718 tCO2eq. Payback remains within 4–7 years without REC and 4–6 years with REC. Overall, the study provides design-oriented evidence for integrating PV canopies, EV charging hubs, and RECs in dense urban contexts.