Track 3 Session 13

2:20 to 3:20 p.m. Thursday, June 17, 2010

Design for Reliability (DFR) Practice in Photovoltaic Inverter Design

The solar power market is booming. Large numbers of photovoltaic (PV) systems are being installed throughout the world. The PV inverter is a critical sub-system in the PV system. In order to increase the availability and secure the maximum return on investment, a grid-tied PV system requires high reliability of inverters to reduce downtime and ensure power generation. Where PV modules have expected lifetimes of up to 20 years, the PV system requires that the inverter has a comparable expected lifetime, or at least a predictable lifetime. This presentation will focus on how to improve the quality and reliability of PV inverters in the design phase. The major points to be covered are: 1) PV inverter reliability current status study and main failure mode. 2) A standard usage model of the PV inverter. 3) DFR practice in PV design phase, with an emphasis on component sizing and useful life analysis. 4) A proactive maintenance plan for PV inverter long-term reliability.

Key Words: DFR, DFQ, PV Inverter Reliability, PV Inverter Standard Usage Model

Zhiqiang Janet Ma and Spyros Thomas

Schneider Electric, Renewable Energies Business

Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada