Reliability analysis of residential photovoltaic systems

Abstract

Due to various incentive programs and local market conditions of several European and worldwide countries, photovoltaic systems are rapidly becoming the most diffused solution for residential installations. This wide adoption raises new and important issues related to the efficiency, efficacy and safety of these highly distributed and heterogeneous power systems. In particular, as these systems are often connected to the general power grid so that a system failure may affect the operation of other interconnected systems, in their design an accurate dependability analysis should be performed. Moreover, a dependability analysis allows establishing a maintenance plan acceptable to the user for keeping the system operating effectively. However, despite these reasons, this kind of analysis is often missing manly due to the lack of specific methodological approaches and related ready-to-use tools. To overcome this lack, the paper presents a methodological approach to the reliability analysis of residential photovoltaic systems which exploits analysis techniques and models coming from the R.AM.S. (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety) engineering discipline.