Title :
Photovoltaic system reliability
Author :
Maish, Alexander B. ; Atcitty, Christopher ; Hester, Steve ; Greenberg, Daniel ; Osborn, Don ; Collier, David ; Brine, Malissa
Author_Institution :
Sandia Nat. Labs., Albuquerque, NM, USA
fDate :
29 Sep-3 Oct 1997
Abstract :
This paper discusses the reliability of photovoltaic projects including SMUD´s PV Pioneer project, various projects monitored by Ascension Technology, and the Colorado Parks project. System times-to-failure range from 1 to 16 years, and maintenance costs range from 1 to 16 cents per kilowatt-hour. Factors contributing to the reliability of these systems are discussed, and practices are recommended that can be applied to future projects. This paper also discusses the methodology used to collect and analyze PV system reliability data
Keywords :
maintenance engineering; photovoltaic power systems; power system reliability; Ascension Technology; Colorado Parks project; PV system reliability data; SMUD PV Pioneer project; Sacramento Municipal Utility District project; grid-independent systems; grid-tied systems; maintenance costs; photovoltaic system reliability; system times-to-failure; Cost function; Failure analysis; Laboratories; Maintenance; Manufacturing; Photovoltaic systems; Reliability; Silicon; Solar power generation; US Department of Energy;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 1997., Conference Record of the Twenty-Sixth IEEE
Conference_Location :
Anaheim, CA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-3767-0
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.1997.654269
