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Digital Twin for Photovoltaic System Maintenance Support
Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2026.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
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| _version_ | 1867613930976706560 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Swanepoel, Heinrich Marc |
| author2 | Basson, Anton Herman |
| author_browse | Basson, Anton Herman Swanepoel, Heinrich Marc |
| author_facet | Basson, Anton Herman Swanepoel, Heinrich Marc |
| author_sort | Swanepoel, Heinrich Marc |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135793 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:43:58.501Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135793 Digital Twin for Photovoltaic System Maintenance Support Swanepoel, Heinrich Marc Basson, Anton Herman Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering. Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. Swanepoel, H. M. 2026. Digital Twin for Photovoltaic System Maintenance Support. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/7c419976-35b7-47f0-ae93-f3b57c1be549 With the continued growth of industrial photovoltaic (PV) installations, the need to maximise plant uptime and operational efficiency has become increasingly important. Reducing downtime through monitoring and predictive maintenance enables earlier fault detection and improved decision-making for maintenance planning. This thesis presents a modular, holonic digital twin (DT) architecture for maintenance support of industrial PV plants. The proposed architecture integrates rule-based and machine-learning-based (ML) failure analysis within a unified structure, enabling both real-time fault detection and predictive maintenance functionalities. The architecture was evaluated through a proof-of-concept implementation using monitoring rules and a previously published machine learning method. The implementation consisted of multiple plant- and inverter-level DTs, combined with a service-oriented architecture. Experimental validation demonstrated that the system achieved real-time anomaly detection and predictive failure analysis. When scaled to larger PV plant configurations (150 plants, each with 15 inverters), the implementation maintained functional stability, with moderate performance degradation that remained within acceptable operational limits. The research contributes a modular and holonic DT architecture that combines rule-based and predictive maintenance within a scalable framework for industrial PV plants. A proof-of-concept implementation validates that the modular service-oriented architecture can support both real-time monitoring and predictive analysis while maintaining architectural flexibility and stability under increased loads. The work provides a generic architecture and methodological foundation that can be adopted by both academia and industry to develop future DT-based maintenance systems, probably beyond PV systems. With further refinement and deployment, such systems could enhance operational reliability and efficiency, supporting the broader transition toward sustainable and data-driven energy management. Masters 2026-04-10T10:13:27Z 2026-04-10T10:13:27Z 2026-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135793 en Stellenbosch University 133 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Swanepoel, Heinrich Marc Digital Twin for Photovoltaic System Maintenance Support |
| title | Digital Twin for Photovoltaic System Maintenance Support |
| title_full | Digital Twin for Photovoltaic System Maintenance Support |
| title_fullStr | Digital Twin for Photovoltaic System Maintenance Support |
| title_full_unstemmed | Digital Twin for Photovoltaic System Maintenance Support |
| title_short | Digital Twin for Photovoltaic System Maintenance Support |
| title_sort | digital twin for photovoltaic system maintenance support |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135793 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT swanepoelheinrichmarc digitaltwinforphotovoltaicsystemmaintenancesupport |