Comprehensive evaluation of regional energy internet using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process based on cloud model: A case in China

Abstract

Regional energy internet is an important application of “Internet+” smart energy in China’s new urbanization process. The evaluation of regional energy internet is a significant way to measure the development level of regional energy internet. However, such work is a blank of current research. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate regional energy network from a comprehensive view. Firstly, this study establishes an evaluation criteria system for regional energy internet, which consists of four dimensions (technical, economic, social, and engineering) and associated 16 criteria. Secondly, considering the uncertainty involved the evaluation process, cloud model is utilized to depict the fuzziness and randomness, which are indispensable elements in the uncertainty. Thirdly, a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process, which is a combination of AHP and fuzzy set theory, is developed to determine the weights of the identified dimensions and criteria. Finally, the evaluation results in practical case in China show that the comprehensive evaluation grade of the demonstration project is good. And the technical dimension and economic dimension should be noted, mainly involving comprehensive efficiency and energy economy level. The results of the evaluation are exactly consistent with the actual situation, indicating that the evaluation method has strong practical value.