Sustainability-oriented failure assessment of hybrid solar energy system using FMEA and fuzzy AHP

Purpose The aim of this study is to perform an advanced failure modes and effects analysis on a hybrid solar photovoltaic wiring (HSPW) system to ensure a sustainability-oriented risk framework that identifies and prioritizes failures based on various factors. Design/methodology/approach The proposed study integrates three techniques – Failure Modes and Effects Analysis, Pareto Analysis and the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process to systematically identify, prioritize and rank critical failure modes using several data sources, including field failure data, literature review and expert evaluations. Findings From the reliability engineering perception, the obtained results are extremely important as they suggest the failure modes that are crucial in terms of risk intensities. Failures such as “Internal failures,” “overheating,” “insufficient ventilation and temperature” and “bulging battery,” repeatedly emerged as high-risk failure modes when assessed analytically. Originality/value The study contributes to the literature by proposing an integrated framework combining RPN-Pareto analysis and Fuzzy AHP into an advanced FMEA structure for a sustainable energy system. Unlike the traditional FMEA technique that only focuses on the three factors-severity, occurrence and detection; in this study, different severity perspectives, such as economic, environmental and social perspective, have been incorporated, resulting in a sustainability-oriented framework that also adds practical value to renewable energy risk management.