Abstract
The supply of PV power that satisfies the needs of customers is heavily dependent on the reliability of the generating plants. However, irrespective of the robustness of the design of such physical industrial assets, they tend to depreciate with usage and/or age which, in turn, increases the allowance between the design and the operational capabilities. Therefore, to ameliorate the reliability of the system, a combination of selective and preventive maintenance actions were planned by determining the best combination (optimal preventive maintenance intervals, optimal replaced components). In this work, we developed an optimal preventive maintenance strategy with minimal repair using the iterative numerical technique for a PV plant, with and without considering the influence of environmental conditions on the system. An algorithm was developed on MATLAB to determine the optimal number of preventive maintenance actions that yields the maximum availability by selecting the components to be maintained based on the reliability threshold, without considering the environmental impact on the components. The environmental elements’ criticality was introduced, and the reliability reiterated based on the new technique. Finally, by maximizing the availability of the system, an optimal preventive maintenance for a finite horizon was established.
Highlights
Nabila Ahmed Rufa’I, Sulaiman ONowadays, the conventional energy sector has become a very challenging area because of its high environmental impact
This paper presented an algorithm for selective preventive maintenance by considering the reliability threshold
The reliability of each component was calculated at the end of each mission, and the components to be replaced were predetermined
Summary
The conventional energy sector has become a very challenging area because of its high environmental impact. This energy generation mode brings into question air pollution, which causes an increase in the greenhouse effect that, in turn, causes global warming. This has caused renewable energy sources to gain attention, thereby necessitating the provision of various alternative energy sources, including photovoltaics, wind energy, and concentrated solar power (CSP), among others. The increased growth rate of PV exploitation has increased the attention of investors, government organizations, and other stakeholders, whose aim is to ensure that a PV system should reliably and cost-effectively generate energy while being sustainable.
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