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Accepted standardized tests are lacking to ensure reliability of inverters for the PV industry. This section discusses the status of tests used or being developed to gauge reliability, including design qualification tests.
Applied safety standards for PV inverters provide a rudimentary level of reliability testing, insofar as they relate to safety. Considering the lack of generally accepted reliability standards, some apply draft standards in development and portions of standards from other industries.
The cost of O&M work necessitated by inverter failures influences the profitability of PV installations. The inverters constitute between 43% and 70% of the PV power plant service requests as seen in Fig. 1. Financial losses additionally accrue due to energy losses.
or lowest operating temperature as specified by manufacturer. Standards also exist and are being developed for inverter safety – these standards intersect with reliability when particular failure mechanisms they examine are considered to potentially lead to shock or fire.
