An approach based on electric signature analysis for photovoltaic maintenance

The increasing demand for efficiency and quality greatly influences the way in which goods and services are produced and managed. As a consequence, the maintenance of an equipment is one of a key drivers for increasing the competitiveness in the market nowadays. This paper introduces ESA (Electric Signature Analysis), a technique which can act as a cheap and reliable tool for diagnostics and, for some application, prognostics purpose. The effectiveness of the technique is discussed and, finally, demonstrated in a case study carried out for the monitoring of a Photovoltaic (PV) plant.