A critical review of PV systems’ faults with the relevant detection methods

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PhotoVoltaic (PV) systems are often subjected to operational faults which negatively affect their performance. Corresponding to different types and natures, such faults prevent the PV systems from achieving their nominal power output and attaining the required level of energy production. Regarding the operational optimization of PV systems, this paper aims primarily at surveying and categorizing different types of PV faults, classified as electrical, internal, and external, where each is thoroughly investigated: internal faults occur at the PV cellular level, and can either be short circuit, open circuit, bridging, or bypass diode faults. External faults on the other side are mainly classified as temporary (i.e., clouds shading, snowstorms, etc.) or permanent (e.g., glass breakage, frame defects, etc.) mismatch faults. Lastly, electrical faults involve common circuitry problems, such as short circuits (e.g., line to ground, line to line, etc.), power processing units’ faults (e.g., inverter faults), and arc faults. As for the detection methods, six major fault detection methods are investigated for the AC side of the PV system with twenty-nine total AC based fault detection methods. On the other hand, eleven major fault detection methods are surveyed for the DC side of PV systems with seventy-three total DC based fault detection methods. The investigated methods are critically analyzed, and compared relevantly to each other, within the mutual sub-sets. The resulting tabulated comparative data assessments for PV faults (i.e., cause-effect relationships, impact on the PV system performance), as well as for faults detection methods (i.e., priority for application, etc.) compose a rich background for related PV systems’ performance security fields, where a nexus future work is also suggested.