Impact of inverter configuration on PV system reliability and energy production

The loss of potential revenues due to PV system failures should be taken into consideration when the system´s life cycle cost predictions are calculated. We demonstrate a procedure for quantifying the effects of inverter failures (as most dominant) on total lifetime PV system energy production, and investigate the suitability of several inverter configurations based on criteria of total lifetime energy output and life cycle costs. The overall PV system performance penalty due to inverter failures depends on several factors, such as the reliability characteristics of the inverter, inverter configuration and repair time. Using the Monte Carlo analysis, a performance-adjusting coefficient that accounts for these factors is proposed, and a straightforward analysis for determining the optimal inverter configuration is described.