Towards smart communities: evaluation of solar photovoltaic panels on a parking depot

A mandatory step for a city, and also for a Smart City, is to reduce the use of fossil fuels and to exploit renewable sources in the existing energy systems of the building. Most countries have a high number of existing buildings characterized by an old energy plant and poor comfort and they urgently need retrofitting. Municipalities are therefore focused on the energy renovations of existing buildings, such as the schools due to their importance for the education of future citizens. Several projects currently investigate the potential for the use of Solar Power Generation systems to cover the school building's electricity demand. In line with this, the presented study proposes two main strategies to increase the level of smartness and sustainability of an Italian city. The first goal is to install a photovoltaic system on the rooftop of a bus depot, exploiting a wide surface that is unused. Then, the electricity produced by the PV system will be used to cover the energy demand of three schools and to charge electric vehicles. The mobility of the city will be integrated with dedicated paths for electric buses. Finally, a smart method is required to assess the benefits of those solutions and to guide the Municipality to setting a priority plan.