Reliability modeling and analysis of a micro-grid with significant clean energy penetration

Abstract

This paper reviews three main methods in reliability analysis for power systems and applies them to a micro-grid with significant clean energy penetration. The approaches used are Reliability Block Diagrams (RBD), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) and Markov Reliability Modeling (MRM). Each method is introduced and applied to a simple system to illustrate its application procedure. Reliability parameters such as the system's mean time to failure (MTTF), component structure importance, and reliability function are evaluated using simulation models. All three methods are then used to find the reliability measures of a real micro-grid which is characterized by significant clean energy penetration using solar photovoltaic panels and a fuel cell.