Methodology for Fault Detection Applied in Photovoltaic Plants Based on Inverter Power Curve Analysis

Paulo A. V. Vieira; João M. S. Callegari; Heverton Augusto Pereira

doi:10.18618/REP.e202504

Authors

Paulo A. V. Vieira Universidade Federal de Viçosa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8102-1369
João M. S. Callegari Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6264-351X
Heverton Augusto Pereira Universidade Federal de Viçosa https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0710-7815

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18618/REP.e202504

Keywords:

Photovoltaic inverters, irradiance, power, energy loss, fault detection

Abstract

The maintenance of photovoltaic plants is crucial to ensure their proper performance, longevity, and efficiency, while also enhancing the return on investment and contributing to sustainable energy production. In such context, this paper proposes a methodology to characterize the main issues in photovoltaic plants, based on the analysis of the proposed inverter output power curve. Through power curve analysis, the most common anomalies and faults encountered in inverters are identified, providing a valuable tool for the early detection of operational issues. Additionally, power curve analysis allows a comparison between projected and actual values of generated energy, offering an index of system energy losses. Lastly, an economic analysis is presented, ranking inverters based on the magnitude of their energy losses, from highest to lowest. This analysis provides important insights for prioritizing maintenance actions and allocating resources to enhance generation returns.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Paulo A. V. Vieira, Universidade Federal de Viçosa

received his B.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from the Federal University of Itajubá, Brazil, in 2015, his M.Sc. degree in energy resources engineering from the Federal University of Itajubá, Brazil, in 2019, and his solar photovoltaic systems specialist certification from the Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil, in 2024. Since 2019, he has been working in O\&M Manager for photovoltaic power plants, with more than 2.2 GWp of experience. His main research interests are renewable energy systems, solar photovoltaics, and energy storage systems.

João M. S. Callegari, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

received the B.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from the Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil, in 2019 and the M.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from the Federal Center of Technological Education of Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 2021. Currently, he is working toward the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. His current research and technical interests include the design and control of grid-connected multifunctional inverters, the reliability of power electronics-based systems, and AC microgrids. Mr. Callegari was the recipient of the President Bernardes Silver Medal in 2019 and the IEEE IAS CMD Student Thesis Contest 2022 (Non-PhD Category).

Heverton Augusto Pereira, Universidade Federal de Viçosa

received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil, in 2007, the M.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Campinas, Brazil, in 2009, and the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 2015. He was a visiting Researcher with the Department of Energy Technology, Aalborg University, Denmark, in 2014. In 2009, he joined the Department of Electrical Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa, where he is currently Professor. Since 2017 he has been a member of the pos-graduation program in Electrical Engineering from UFSJ/CEFET-MG and since 2020 he is Coordinator of Specialization in Photovoltaic System at Federal University of Viçosa. His research interests include grid-connected converters for photovoltaic systems and battery energy storage systems.

References

L. S. Paraschiv, S. Paraschiv, “Contribution of renewable energy (hydro, wind, solar and biomass) to decarbonization and transformation of the electricity generation sector for sustainable development”, Energy Reports, vol. 9, pp. 535–544, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2023.07.024

P. Choudhary, R. K. Srivastava, “Sustainability perspectives- a review for solar photovoltaic trends and growth opportunities”, Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 227, pp. 589–612, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.04.107

A. Aleksandra, B. P. Sara, J. Małgorzata, B. Brian, P. Davide, C. Miguel, “Role of solar PV in net-zero growth: An analysis of international manufacturers and policies”, Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications.

A. Baklouti, L. Mifdal, S. Dellagi, A. Chelbi, “An Optimal Preventive Maintenance Policy for a Solar Photovoltaic System”, Sustainability, vol. 12, no. 10, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104266

K. Keisang, T. Bader, R. Samikannu, “Review of Operation and Maintenance Methodologies for Solar Photovoltaic Microgrids”, Frontiers in Energy Research, vol. 9, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2021.730230

R. C. de Barros, W. C. S. Amorim, W. d. C. Boaventura, A. F. Cupertino, V. F. Mendes, H. A. Pereira, “Methodology for BESS Design Assisted by Choice Matrix Approach”, Eletrônica de Potência, vol. 29, p. e202412, Jun. 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18618/REP.2005.1.019027

K. Ribeiro, R. Santos, E. Saraiva, R. Rajagopal, “A Statistical Methodology to Estimate Soiling Losses on Photovoltaic Solar Plants”, Journal of Solar Energy Engineering, vol. 143, no. 6, p. 064501, 05 2021, doi:10.1115/1.4050948. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4050948

N. AL-Rousan, N. A. M. Isa, M. K. M. Desa, “Advances in solar photovoltaic tracking systems: A review”, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 82, pp. 2548–2569, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.09.077

A. Cabrera-Tobar, E. Bullich-Massague, M. Aragues-Penalba,O. Gomis-Bellmunt, “Topologies for large scale photovoltaic power plants”, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 59, pp. 309–319, 2016. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.12.362

M. Boyd, “NIST Weather Station for Photovoltaic and Building System Research”, , 03 2016, doi:10.6028/NIST.TN.1913. DOI: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.TN.1913

S. Ansari, A. Ayob, M. S. H. Lipu, M. H. M. Saad, A. Hussain, “A Review of Monitoring Technologies for Solar PV Systems Using Data Processing Modules and Transmission Protocols: Progress, Challenges and Prospects”, Sustainability, vol. 13, no. 15, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158120

Q. Liu, Y. Zhao, Y. Zhang, D. Kang, Q. Lv, L. Shang, “Hierarchical context-aware anomaly diagnosis in large-scale PV systems using SCADA data”, in 2017 IEEE 15th International Conference on Industrial Informatics, pp. 1025–1030, 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/INDIN.2017.8104914

S. Baschel, E. Koubli, J. Roy, R. Gottschalg, “Impact of Component Reliability on Large Scale Photovoltaic Systems’ Performance”, Energies, vol. 11, no. 6, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en11061579

U. Jahn, W. Nasse, “Operational performance of grid-connected PV systems on buildings in Germany”, Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, vol. 12, no. 6, pp. 441–448, 2004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/pip.550

S. Gallardo-Saavedra, L. Hernandez-Callejo, O. Duque-Perez, “Technological review of the instrumentation used in aerial thermographic inspection of photovoltaic plants”, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 93, pp. 566–579, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2018.05.027

M. Villarini, V. Cesarotti, L. Alfonsi, V. Introna, “Optimization of photovoltaic maintenance plan by means of a FMEA approach based on real data”, Energy Conversion and Management, vol. 152, pp. 1–12, 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2017.08.090

A. Betti, M. L. L. Trovato, F. S. Leonardi, G. Leotta, F. Ruffini, C. Lanzetta, “Predictive Maintenance in Photovoltaic Plants with a Big Data Approach”, CoRR, vol. abs/1901.10855, 2019, 1901.10855.

V. Smet, F. Forest, J.-J. Huselstein, F. Richardeau, Z. Khatir, S. Lefebvre, M. Berkani, “Ageing and Failure Modes of IGBT Modules in High-Temperature Power Cycling”, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, vol. 58, no. 10, pp. 4931–4941, 2011. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/TIE.2011.2114313

M. Kontges, S. Kurtz, C. Packard, U. Jahn, K. Berger, K. Kato, ¨ T. Friesen, H. Liu, M. Van Iseghem, j. Wohlgemuth, D. Miller, M. Kempe, P. Hacke, F. Reil, N. Bogdanski, W. Herrmann, C. Buerhop, G. Razongles, G. Friesen, Review of Failures of Photovoltaic Modules, International Energy Agency, 2014, URL: https://iea-pvps.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/IEA-PVPS T13- 01 2014 Review of Failures of Photovoltaic Modules Final.pdf.

Y. Wang, Q. Hu, L. Li, A. M. Foley, D. Srinivasan, “Approaches to wind power curve modeling: A review and discussion”, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 116, p. 109422, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2019.109422

P. Marti-Puig, J. Hernandez, J. Sol ´ e-Casals, M. Serra-Serra, “Enhancing Reliability in Wind Turbine Power Curve Estimation”, Appl Sci, vol. 14, p. 2479, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/app14062479

F. Bilendo, A. Meyer, H. Badihi, N. Lu, P. Cambron, B. Jiang, “Applications and Modeling Techniques of Wind Turbine Power Curve for Wind Farms—A Review”, Energies, vol. 16, p. 180, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en16010180

PVsyst SA, “PVsyst, commercial photovoltaic system simulation software”, https://www.pvsyst.com/, [Accessed on 24 January 2024].

The Solar Design Company, “PV*Sol, commercial photovoltaic system simulation software”, https://pvsol.software/en/, [Accessed on 24 January 2024].

International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), Photovoltaic System Performance – Part 1: Monitoring, Part 2: Capacity Evaluation Method, Part 3: Energy Evaluation Method, IEC 61724-1:2021, IEC 61724-2:2017, IEC 61724-3:2017, 2021.

P. A. Morettin, J. da Motta Singer, Estatística e Ciência de Dados , 1 ed., Editora LTC, Sao Paulo, 2022. ˜

R. H. French, L. S. Bruckman, D. Moser, S. Lindig, M. van Iseghem, B. Muller, J. S. Stein, M. Richter, M. Herz, W. V. Sark, ¨ F. Baumgartner, Assessment of Performance Loss Rate of PV Power Systems, International Energy Agency, Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (IEA PVPS), 2021, URL: https://iea-pvps.org/wpcontent/uploads/2021/04/IEA-PVPS-T13-22 2021-Assessment-ofPerformance-Loss-Rate-of-PV-Power-Systems-report.pdf.