Reliability and performance prediction of a small serial solar photovoltaic system for rural consumption using the Gumbel-Hougaard family copula

Abstract

The current study looks into the dependability and performance of a solar photovoltaic system that is configured in series. The system's performance is measured using system strength indicators such as reliability, availability, mean time to failure, and cost measures. The system is made up of four subsystems: a 3-out-of-5 panel, a charge controller, a 2-out-of-3 battery bank, and an inverter. In contrast to some industrial and manufacturing systems, the system is assumed to operate at full capacity. In the current study, failure is classified as complete or incomplete. A complete failure occurs when any of the subsystems fails, whereas an incomplete failure occurs when a unit in the panel subsystem or battery bank fails. The system is analyzed using the linear differential-difference equation, supplementary variable technique, Gumbel-Hougaard family of copula to obtain expressions of reliability measures of determining system strength such as availability, reliability, mean time to failure (MTTF), and profit function. To illustrate the obtained results and to analyze the effect of various system parameters, numerical examples are provided. The current study is beneficial to areas with low energy consumption, such as schools and homes, in alleviating some of the challenges they face. KeywordsCopula • Solar panel • Availability • Parallel • Photovoltaic Abbreviations s Laplace transform variable for all expressions t Time variable on a time scale 1 Failure rate of the unit in subsystem 1 2 Failure rate of the unit in subsystem 2 3 Failure rate of the unit in subsystem 3 4 0 (x) Copula repair of full failure of unit in subsystem 1 0 (y) Copula repair of full failure of unit in subsystem 2 0 (z) Copula repair of full failure of unit in subsystem 3 0 (k) Copula repair of full failure of unit in subsystem 4 * Ibrahim Yusuf