Analysis of inverter shutdown in photovoltaic power station

Does central inverter failure affect PV power plant availability & Roi?

This paper reviewed several publications which studied the failures of the PV power plant equipment’s and presented that the central inverter failures rate is the highest for the PV power plant equipment’s which affected negatively in both PV power plant availability and ROI.

What does a PV inverter do?

... For any grid tied photovoltaic (PV) system, the inverter is the essential piece of equipment that changes the direct power (DC) from the PV array to alternating power (AC) used in the electrical grid. Not only does the inverter convert DC to AC power but it also regulates the PV system [1, 16].

When is a PV inverter disconnected?

However, the PV inverter is disconnected shortly after 1.5 cycles. In addition to the three-phase PV inverter, in Gonzalez et al. (2018), a single-phase PV inverter (3.2 kVA) is investigated under fault condition when operating with grid-connected functionality.

Why do PV inverters fail?

Some authors discuss inverter failures due to the issues of reactive power control. The PV inverters operate at unity power factor, but as per the new grid requirements, the PV inverters must operate at non unity power factor by absorbing or supplying reactive power to control the grid voltage and frequency.

How does a short-circuit affect a PV inverter?

When there is a voltage drop associated with a short-circuit, the PV inverter attempts to extract the same power, by acting as a constant power source. This way, the higher the voltage drop, the higher the fault current injected by the PV inverter should be.

Why do inverters shut down more often than PA-based BS?

Inverter shut-down are observed at least twice as often in inverters with FC-based BS as in those with PA-based BS. Degradation of backsheets (BSs) and encapsulant polymer components of silicon PV modules is recognized as one of the main reasons for losses in PV plant performance and lifetime expectations.