Failure Risk Analysis of the Photovoltaic Modules Based on the Improved FMECA Method

Failure risk analysis is the premise and foundation for reliability assessment of Photovoltaic modules. Aiming at the defect of quantitative RPN (risk priority number) value gap, index itself no clear physical meaning, greatly influenced by subjective, index design not considering weighting factor etc. For traditional FMECA (Failure Mode Effect and Criticality Analysis) method using the RPN to quantify and sort the risk of failure, a new method based on risk measurement and risk sort of P-W-O fuzzy comprehensive evaluation is presented. Designing the new evaluation index set (key performance indicators P, maintenance cost W and probability O), the method achieves objective and significance of the index evaluation. Using the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation to judge, the introduction of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to weight assignment, the method achieves quantitative continuity and the weight of risk evaluation index. Results show that the method can effectively improve the FMECA quantify unreasonable and repeated phenomenon, making the analysis and the actual more suit, improving credibility of PV module failure risk analysis results.