Three phase modular multilevel inverter-based multi-terminal asymmetrical DC inputs for renewable energy applications

Abstract

This paper introduces a compact three-phase modular multilevel inverter (MMLI) based on asymmetrical input multi-terminal for different ratings of PV systems. The proposed three-phase inverter utilizes reduced component counts. It combines three half-bridge cells for each phase for 7-level output voltage generation. Therefore, the proposed MLI exhibits less number of switching devices for the cost aspects as well as control simplicity. The proposed inverter is analyzed for modular operation and supported by a vital comparative study to show the inverter merits. The proposed MMLI is investigated and analyzed using Matlab/Simulink. Finally, the MMLI is experimentally validated.

Keywords

• Three-phase modular multilevel inverter
• Cascaded half bridge
• Pulse-width modulation
• THD