Observed Symptoms for Performance Analysis of PV Central Inverters Using Minutes Intervals Discrete Data During the Operational Life Cycle

The central inverter is the core of Mega-scale Photovoltaic (PV) plants as it plays a significant role in converting DC power to AC power. The DC power is generated by the PV array which consists of several parallel-connected strings and each PV string consists of several series-connected PV modules. The AC power is supplied to the grid. So, the partial or total failures of inverters negatively affect PV plant availability. This paper focuses on gathering the symptoms that might indicate the operational performance of the PV grid-connected central inverter in Mega-scale PV plants. This study depends on the inverter operational data which are measured by the SCADA monitoring system in a real 50 MW PV power plant located in Benban Solar Park in Egypt. This type of study plays a significant role in maintaining the reliability of the PV power plants which are designed for a lifetime of 25 years.