Development of a Model to Ensure the Safety of PV Systems Using FMEA

To date, research aimed at ensuring the safety of photovoltaic (PV) systems has primarily focused on improving power generation efficiency and identifying failure types at the component level. In most cases, when a PV accident occurs, the faulty equipment is simply replaced, and the system is resumed. Additionally, an analysis of Korea fire statistics and investigation data for PV systems over the past five years reveals that causes include tracking, poor contact, and insulation degradation, with unidentified short circuits accounting for 27% of the total accidents. This paper aims to ensure the safety of PV system operations by identifying major failure modes through the examination of Korea PV accident cases and defining new failure modes centered on these failure phenomena. Furthermore, using Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), the study evaluates potential failure causes in terms of severity, occurrence, and detection, assigns risk priorities, and proposes risk impact assessments and improvement measures for each failure mode. The failure modes are categorized according to the major components of PV systems, such as modules, inverters, junction boxes, connectors, and cable are classified by the possible failures associated with each piece of equipment. Notably, considering the significant proportion of PV systems installed in mountainous area within Korea, the study presents failure modes that comprehensively account for structural factors.