Thermal and energy performance assessment of net-zero bus stations constructed from recycled shipping containers in arid urban environments

Public transportation in hot-arid regions faces significant challenges including high energy demand, poor thermal comfort, and high carbon emissions, which undermine urban sustainability. This study investigates the thermal and energy performance of a solar photovoltaic-powered net-zero energy (NZE) bus station constructed from a recycled shipping container under climatic conditions representative of Kuwait. Unlike conventional studies focusing on standard building typologies, this research addresses public transport infrastructure and explores its potential for sustainable urban applications. The methodology combines the design of a scalable modular container-based bus station with short-term experimental monitoring of a full-scale prototype in Kuwait City to validate energy simulations and assess worst-case thermal performance. Experimental data collected during peak summer conditions were used to calibrate the simulation model after which then further simulations evaluated annual operational performance under multiple occupancy scenarios. This integrated approach produced more reliable simulation results than purely simulation-based studies. Initial simulated results closely aligned with measured data and satisfied the accuracy thresholds of ASHRAE Guideline 14, confirming the robustness of the calibrated model. Subsequent simulations showed that the NZE bus station could achieve annual operational energy self-sufficiency, generating approximately 8.34 MWh of electricity and offsetting about 6.9 metric tons of operational CO 2 emissions. City-scale analysis indicates that deploying 91 stations could generate up to 759 MWh of electricity annually and reduce nearly 628 metric tons of CO 2 emissions while improving passenger thermal comfort. Overall, the findings demonstrate the feasibility of this scalable low-carbon public transport infrastructure solution for hot-arid climates, supporting sustainable urban development and aligning with Kuwait Vision 2035 sustainability goals.