A Novel Switched Hybrid-Voltage Doubler High Gain DC-DC Converter for Renewable Energy Applications

Abstract

Background: In renewable energy system applications, the power converter is essential for transferring energy into the load centre. The AC network voltage is much higher than the renewable energy source voltage; therefore, a transformer is commonly used to step up the voltage. However, the size and cost of the system are larger due to the presence of a bulky transformer, and also the efficiency is deteriorated due to PWM voltage being applied to the transformer. Objective: To eliminate the requirement of the transformer, DC link voltage is boosted up to a higher level using a high-gain converter. Various DC-DC converters have been proposed in recent studies; however, the involvement of the active switches is high to produce higher voltage gain, which reduces efficiency. In order to overcome this limitation, this particular paper proposes a novel switched hybrid-voltage doubler high gain DC-DC converter, which helps to achieve higher gain with a minimum number of components count compared to other reported converters. It also reduces the device's stress, thereby increasing its efficiency. Method: This paper describes the detailed operational studies along with CCM and DCM modes. The mathematical analysis under each operating state is reported in this paper. A detailed comparative study on the performance merits of the proposed converter, along with other recently reported converters, is presented. Results: Finally, the simulation results are presented to validate the operation of the proposed converter. Furthermore, a 500 W laboratory setup is developed to verify the operation details and practical feasibility of the converter through experimental results and presented in this paper. Conclusion: From the measured results, it is concluded that the proposed converter can play the most promising role in the transmission phase in renewable energy system implementations since it boosts the voltage to the adequate point as required by the system.