Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are among the most convenient renewable energy sources (RESs) and are popular due to their easy implementation and low maintenance. Multi-input multilevel converters (MLCs) are suitable choices to harvest energy from PV systems and integrate solar farms into the existing power grid. In this paper, a new reconfigurable and multi-input converter is proposed for solar PV applications. It is also a practical solution for various medium to high voltage and power applications such as traction and HVDC. The symmetric and asymmetric configurations of the proposed MLC help achieve a higher number of output voltage levels and hence better-quality waveforms. The redundant output voltage vectors have improved the fault tolerance behavior of the proposed converter which enhances the reliability of the overall solar power system. Moreover, the proposed converter benefits from an improved model predictive control (MPC) technique which is customized for multilevel converters by adopting the nearest level control (NLC) algorithm. The proposed model predictive NLC (MP-NLC) method leads to high quality output voltage waveform (1.23% THD) under various load conditions while realizing an average switching frequency of lower than 6.8 kHz. A nominal load efficiency of 98.3% is recorded for the proposed MLC. The simulation results using Plexim PLECS software validate the functionality of the proposed converter and control method.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.