Modelling and Analysis of the Reliability of a PhotoVoltaic (PV) Inverter

In this paper, analytical equations are employed for electro-thermal modelling of a PhotoVoltaic (PV) inverter. This approach results in significantly faster reliability modelling, which is suitable for iterative design and analysis of large-scale systems. Next, considering the mission profiles, reliability metrics of the inverter are extracted for a case study system. Afterwards, the system reliability performance is characterized in terms of input power, switching frequency, and DC-link voltage of the inverter. Subsequently, by using this information, solutions are proposed to improve the inverter reliability and meet the intended requirements. In addition, the impact of the grid on inverter reliability is discussed.