PROJECT TITLE :

Control of a SiC-Based Cascaded Multilevel Converter Cell for Solar Applications - 2017

ABSTRACT:

Central inverters based mostly on typical topologies are this most popular answer in solar farms as a result of of their low cost and simplicity. However, such topologies have some disadvantages: poor Most Power Point Tracking (MPPT), and the employment of bulky filters and Low Frequency (LF) transformers. An attractive various in this case is the Cascaded Multilevel Converter (CMC), that will offer a distributed MPPT control, allied with overall reduced footprint and high flexibility. A CMC cell using silicon carbide devices has been proposed and designed in previous works to incorporate three main functions: MPPT control of a Photovoltaic (PV) array, galvanic isolation through a Solid-State Transformer (SST) and management of grid power flow. This work proposes a closed-loop management strategy for every stage of the CMC cell and shows its validation thorough simulations. Experimental results are performed and presented in a single-phase half-dozen.a pair of kW prototype cell. These results cause the conclusion that the applied control techniques are suitable to the PV application.