Economic and environmental assessment of a novel gas-electric hybrid cooling production system adapted to southern China

Developing low-carbon energy systems suitable for urban areas is essential for achieving sustainable energy goals. Based on the characteristics of the cooling demands in South China and the energy consumption behaviour of a scaled industry, an efficient cooling system fueled by gas-electric complementary fuels was proposed, and a principal prototype was built. The results show that the gas-electric refrigeration production system has a cooling capacity of 540 kW and a relatively high primary energy utilisation ratio of 2.25 compared with conventional chillers such as electric or absorption chillers. In addition, the newly developed system reduced carbon emissions in South China by 58.7% more than conventional chillers. According to an economic assessment, the average cooling cost of the system decreased by 20% owing to its higher efficiency.