A method for determining the applicable geographical regions of PV modules field reliability assessment results based on regional clustering of environmental factors and their weights

Abstract

PV modules are characterized by high reliability and long life. Accurately assessing the field reliability of PV modules is extremely important for manufacturers and users. However, how to further determine the applicable geographical regions of reliability assessment results obtained at certain installation locations, which is of great significance in maximizing investment benefits and guiding site selection of new PV plants, is hardly studied yet. To solve this problem, a method by identifying the geographical regions where PV modules are most consistent in the field reliability based on the regional clustering of environmental factors and their weights is presented. The novelty of this method is that not only the relevant environmental factors are selected more reasonably from two different dimensions, but the weights of every factor are calculated separately using more proper ways. Compared to the existing method, the mean coefficient of variance (CV) and Dunn index of the clustering result is reduced by 13.70% and increased by 11.89% respectively. Moreover, the actual performance degradation data of PV modules in different regions also directly demonstrate the superiority of the proposed approach. This methodology can be very efficient in rationally broadening the application values of the PV modules field reliability assessment results.