Failure Risk Analysis of Photovoltaic Systems Based on Literature Review
Abstract
In the context of the quick expansion of photovoltaic (PV) capacity, monitoring and correcting system failures are crucial to maximize the performance. To reduce these sources of underperformance, a well-rounded knowledge of failures becomes essential. This paper highlights the most critical photovoltaic failure modes by means of Failure Mode Effect and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) methodology with the combination of different literature data sources. A review on the current knowledge of failures in PV systems, their detection methods and their relationships is first performed. Then, this study ranks the failures based on their Risk Priority Number (RPN) deducted from their severity, occurrence, and detection scores from different sources. The failure risk analysis outlines that critical failure modes occur in any component of the PV installation and every single part of the system needs special attention to manage underperformances.