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Micro gas turbine systems were introduced to the market at the dawn of the twentieth century, with the selling arguments of small footprint, low gaseous (NOx) and acoustic emissions, low maintenance and versatility for high-grade Combined Heat and Power applications. Unfortunately, the technology has enjoyed very limited market success and, currently, its market share for decentralized applications is marginal. Fierce competition by reciprocating internal combustion engines (ICEs), an established technology, has always been identified as the main barrier hindering the market deployment of micro gas turbines. In this landscape, this work presents a root cause analysis that aims to identify the causes of this weak market penetration of MGTs. It aims to solve a block of the logic tree that represents the end-user choice to adopt one or the other technology. A single Key Performance Indicator is used to combine technical, economic, emission, and operational factors. This KPI is a compound indicator based on several weighted penalty factors and represents an original approach enabling the identification of the potential markets for this technology. The indicator is computed for the range of electrical power outputs in which microturbines compete. This work compares three different case studies all related to CHP applications. The new methodology confirms the lack of competitiveness of microturbines in market segments without specific heat or emission requirements.

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