Solar Field maintenance strategy selection using reliability and risk assessment

Solar thermal technology, with 354 MW of installed electric generating capacity, uses large fields of parabolic trough collectors to harvest solar energy. Solar Field maintenance is essential to the economical viability of existing and future plants. This project describes a methodology for a Solar Field maintenance strategy selection that maximizes economic return and safety. The maintenance strategy selection is based on a lost solar generation analysis, which identifies production losses attributed to speck components of the Solar Field, and a component reliability assessment, which uses time series analysis to establish patterns for failures and forecast future events. The project establishes risk tolerance levels for the maintenance organization based on the cost of failures, safety, environmental, and public image concerns. The project shows how Solar Field maintenance strategy selection is ultimately driven by risk. The project opens new opportunities for future studies of the Solar Field maintenance management practice.