DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A NOVEL MULTILEVEL INVERTER FOR GRID CONNECTED PV SYSTEMS

Abstract

This paper presents the design and implementation of a novel multilevel inverter for gridconnected photovoltaic (PV) systems. The proposed inverter topology reduces the number of switches and DC sources while improving output voltage quality and reducing total harmonic distortion (THD). Conventional multilevel inverters such as diodeclamped, flying capacitor, and cascaded H-bridge topologies require a large number of components, which increases complexity and switching losses. The proposed inverter generates seven-level, thirteen-level, and twenty-one-level output voltages with reduced switching devices and improved efficiency. MATLAB/Simulink analysis confirms that the proposed topology provides lower THD and better harmonic performance for grid integration applications.