Optimization criteria for cogeneration systems: Multi-objective approach and application in an hospital facility

► The analysis shows that a large PES (primary energy saving) percentage does not always lead to an economic advantage. ► For the test solutions, the global PES and the SPB (Simple Payback) even seem to be inversely proportional. ► The distribution of solutions in the objective function space shows a clear trade-off between PES and SPB. ► The introduction of tight constraints can result in a significant decrease in the available system configurations. ► The trade-off between PES and SPB confirms the need to do any predictive analysis using the Multi-objective optimization.