Design and analysis of stepped DC link hybrid converter for solar PV systems

Abstract

A structure of single phase DC Link Multilevel H-Bridge Inverter (DCLMLHBI) is proposed for symmetrical Photo Voltaic (PV) systems. Voltage stress across the inverter switches, Power Spectral Density (PSD), voltage and current harmonics are reduced in the proposed configuration. Compared with conventional 13-level Cascaded Multilevel Inverter (CMLI) configuration, the proposed system configuration is structured with less number of series connected power switches and gate drive circuits. None of the passive components are utilized in the proposed inverter configuration, which highlight the significance of the proposed system. The performance parameters are investigated through Phase Opposition Pulse Width Modulation (POD-PWM) switching scheme and its results are validated with computer simulation and prototype hardware models.