The Impact of Topology and Mission Profile on the Reliability of Boost-type Converters in PV Applications

This paper investigates the impact of different converter topologies and mission profiles on the reliability of dc/dc boost-type PV converters. The reliability of three boost-type converters with the same input/output specifications is modeled employing a mission profile-based reliability evaluation method considering non-constant failure rate for the electrical components. This study identifies the contribution of active and passive components on the converter reliability for identifying the most failure prone components. Furthermore, the applicability of converter structures for different climate conditions is demonstrated seen from the reliability point of view.