Multi-Objective Evaluation of Economic Applicability for Natural Gas Distributed CCHP Systems

Natural gas distributed energy systems can have energy-saving and emission reduction applications when using a stepped supply of combined cooling, heating and power. However, as a new form of clean energy supply, the reasonable benefits of the process need to be estimated. In this paper, a comprehensive evaluation of the applicability of a natural gas distributed energy system was carried out based on economic and environmental factors, an applicability evaluation indicator system was built, and the semantic classification of the evaluation levels was determined. Then, the weight of each indicator was calculated using the analytic hierarchy process, and the applicability level was determined by the set pair analysis theory. Finally, a hotel in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, was taken as an example for evaluation, and the results were compared with traditional energy supply methods. The following research results were obtained. First, the comprehensive evaluation result indicates high applicability, and the economy and the environment are the key influencing factors for the applicability of the natural gas distributed energy system. Second, compared with the traditional energy supply method, the efficiency of energy conservation and emission reduction is remarkable, and the advantages of clean energy and the stepped supply method are reflected. Third, the distributed energy system has obvious economic applicability, especially in low-price areas of natural gas. It is concluded that the research results provide a more scientific decision-making method and reference for the promotion and application of the natural gas distributed energy system.