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An Optimal Preventive Maintenance Policy for a Solar Photovoltaic System

Author

Listed:
  • Amir Baklouti

    (Department of Mathematics, College of First Common Year, Umm Al-Qura University, Mecca 21955, Saudi Arabia)

  • Lahcen Mifdal

    (Laboratoire d’Innovation Durable et de Recherche Appliquée, International University of Agadir, Bab Al madina, Quartier Tillila, B.P. 8143 Agadir, Morocco)

  • Sofiene Dellagi

    (Laboratoire de Génie Informatique, de Production et de Maintenance, University of Lorraine, 3 rue Augustin Fresnel, BP 45112, CEDEX 03, 57073 METZ, France)

  • Anis Chelbi

    (Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Ingénieurs de Tunis, Centre de Recherche en Productique, University of Tunis, Montfleury, Tunis 1089, Tunisia)

Abstract

In this paper, we develop a preventive maintenance (PM) strategy for a solar photovoltaic system composed of solar panels functioning as a series system. The photovoltaic system is considered in a failed state whenever its efficiency drops below a predefined threshold or any electrical wiring element is damaged. In such a situation of failure, a minimal repair is performed. The proposed PM strategy suggests systematically replacing n panels with their respective wiring system every time units T over a finite operating time span H . The panels to be preventively replaced are selected by the maintenance agent after an on-site overall assessment of all panels, making sure every time not to replace panels previously replaced during a given replacement cycle of all panels of the system. An analytical model is proposed in order to simultaneously determine the optimal PM period, T , and the optimal number of solar panels, n , to be replaced at each PM. This is done by modeling and minimizing the expected total maintenance cost over the finite operating time horizon H . A numerical example is presented to illustrate the use of the proposed modelling approach and to discuss the obtained results. The latter provide the optimal solutions ( T*, n* ) for different combinations of input parameters. They also show the economic relevance of the proposed PM strategy through estimation of the economic gain when comparing the situations with and without preventive maintenance.

Suggested Citation

  • Amir Baklouti & Lahcen Mifdal & Sofiene Dellagi & Anis Chelbi, 2020. "An Optimal Preventive Maintenance Policy for a Solar Photovoltaic System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-13, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:10:p:4266-:d:361800
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Sánchez-Herguedas, Antonio & Mena-Nieto, Angel & Rodrigo-Muñoz, Francisco, 2021. "A new analytical method to optimise the preventive maintenance interval by using a semi-Markov process and z-transform with an application to marine diesel engines," Reliability Engineering and System Safety, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
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    4. Aisha Sa’ad & Aimé C. Nyoungue & Zied Hajej, 2021. "Improved Preventive Maintenance Scheduling for a Photovoltaic Plant under Environmental Constraints," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-22, September.
    5. Gabriella-Stefánia Szabó & Róbert Szabó & Loránd Szabó, 2022. "A Review of the Mitigating Methods against the Energy Conversion Decrease in Solar Panels," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-21, September.
    6. Abdulla, Hind & Sleptchenko, Andrei & Nayfeh, Ammar, 2024. "Photovoltaic systems operation and maintenance: A review and future directions," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).

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