Reliability of Power Electronics Converters for Renewable Energy Systems

In recent years, the automotive and aerospace industries have brought stringent reliability constraints on power electronic converters because of safety requirements. Today customers of many power electronic products expect up... [ view full abstract ]

In recent years, the automotive and aerospace industries have brought stringent reliability constraints on power electronic converters because of safety requirements. Today customers of many power electronic products expect up to 20 years of lifetime and they also want to have a "failure free period" and all with focus on the financials. The renewable energy sectors are also following the same trend, and more and more efforts are being devoted to improving power electronic converters to account for reliability with cost-effective and sustainable solutions.
The objective of this tutorial is to introduce the recent progress in the reliability aspect study of power electronic converters for renewable energy applications. It will cover the following contents: the motivations for highly reliable electric energy conversion in renewable energy systems; the reliability requirements of typical renewable energy systems and its implication on the power electronic converters; failure mechanisms and lifetime models of key power electronic components (e.g., power semiconductor switches, capacitors, and fans); long-term mission profiles in Photovoltaic (PV) and wind power applications and the component level stress analysis; reliability analysis methods, tools, and improvement strategies of power electronic converters for renewable energy systems. A few case studies on PV and wind power based renewable energy systems will be discussed throughout the tutorial.
The approaches presented in the tutorial are also the common interest for the companies involved in the Center of Reliable Power Electronics (CORPE) at Aalborg University. The tutorial will also present the views of the instructors on the future research opportunities in the area of reliability of power electronics.