RIAC 217Plus reliability prediction model in photovoltaic systems

Systems reliability evaluation is an important task in industry. In fact, reliability indices suggest information about equipments quality level, maintenance and investments. Reliability performances can be estimated in different ways. Most used methods are reliability prediction models. In spite of their diffusion, their applications and results are often discussed, since each of them provides a different reliability evaluation for the same system under investigation. In addition, these models evaluates a system behaviour in a specific working condition. This aspect introduces supplementary problems in case of photovoltaic systems characterized by continuous changing operating conditions. The aim of this paper is to use the RIAC 217Plus model to a qualitative comparison between different Distributed Maximum Power Point Tracking converters to identify the most reliable one. A new index to characterize the reliability behaviour of systems used in continuous changing environmental conditions is proposed.