Review of Operation and Maintenance Methodologies for Solar Photovoltaic Microgrids

Abstract

Global concerns and growth in electricity demand, especially for rural and remote settlements, has forced governments, scientists, engineers, and researchers to look for alternative solutions in the form of renewable energy sources. High global growth in solar energy technology applications has added more weight in operations and maintenance (O&M) of solar-photovoltaic (SPV) systems. SPV reliability and optimized system performance are key to ensuring success and continual adaptation of SPV technology. O&M plays a central role in ensuring sustainability and long-term availability throughout the operational lifetime of the elements of SPV systems whilst boosting confidence of ultimate consumers in solar energy. While appreciating that SPV installations intrinsically require minimal maintenance actions, the objective of this manuscript is hence to reaffirm the significance of O&M scheduling in SPV systems by reviewing the O&M approaches in SPV microgrid systems. Further discussions focus on the various maintenance strategies employed in the field with special emphasis on corrective, preventive, and predictive maintenance strategies. Because of the variation in the design and development procedures of SPV systems, there is lack of clear steps followed in the development of an O&M program for SPV systems and the evaluation of its performance. This manuscript serves to address this through a model for developing an O&M program and portrays the key elements for its success, including a management and execution approach for improved risk-return balance and savings from the O&M expenditure. Eventually, the three models of executing an O&M program (i.e., in-house O&M team, third party contract, or installation company) are analyzed.

Evaluación del desempeño de microrredes: una revisión

“…El mantenimiento de una MR propende por garantizar el rendimiento, aumentar la confiabilidad del sistema, su disponibilidad y la vida útil de los componentes. De este modo, se destaca la importancia de realizar una planificación de estrategias con técnicas y procedimientos capaces de hacer seguimiento a la MR y contribuir en la mejora de su desempeño [57].…”

Radiometric Infrared Thermography of Solar Photovoltaic Systems: An Explainable Predictive Maintenance Approach for Remote Aerial Diagnostic Monitoring

“…PdM involves leveraging specialized skills in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to pinpoint and eliminate failure symptoms and anomalies. These tools excel at identifying subtle patterns and deviations in data, providing insights into anomalies and underperformance [11]. The effective maintenance process is initiated by an accurate operational fault detection and diagnosis (FDD), which plays a critical role in ensuring the efficiency, quality, and reliability of both modern industrial systems and renewable energy systems.…”

“…The degradation state (BS EN 13306:2017) resulting from thermal stresses in SPV panels hampers the plant's ability to meet the targeted energy output [10]. This necessitates predictive maintenance (PdM) for informed, strategic, and financial decision-making [11,12]. For nondestructive testing, evaluation, supervision, monitoring, diagnostics, inspection, and maintenance, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC TS 62446-3:2017) furnishes technical specifications for outdoor infrared thermography (IRT) [13].…”

Open Source Monitoring and Alarm System for Smart Microgrids Operation and Maintenance Management

“…Creating an alarm system for an MG is a useful tool that can enhance the MG's performance and optimize maintenance tasks, which is crucial for the generators and storage systems [24,25]. Optimized maintenance reduces the cost of energy and increases renewable energy yield, as well as the availability and sturdiness of the MG, because it allows for quick fault detection.…”