Applying Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) to Community Solar Mini-Grids: A Proof of Concept
Abstract
Community mini-grids are vital for rural electrification. However, many mini-grids fail due to technical, organizational, and social challenges, including a lack of local expertise and community involvement. Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a structured method to identify and prioritize risks, traditionally focusing on technical failures. This work extends FMEA to a socio-technical approach, incorporating non-technical factors critical to the mini-grid’s operational sustainability. Socio-technical FMEA involves diverse stakeholders to assess risks holistically through the participatory process. It captures interdependencies between technology, people, tasks, and governance. This approach enables targeted risk mitigation strategies beyond hardware issues. This proof-of-concept illustrates that socio-technical FMEA enhances the operational sustainability of community solar mini-grids and suggests future dynamic and criticality-based improvements for adaptive management.
Keywords
Community solar mini-grids, Operational sustainability, Socio-technical, Failure mode and effects analysis.