A novel three-phase switched capacitor multilevel inverter for PV applications

Abstract

Abstract This article introduces a new, compact $$\:3-\varnothing\:$$ , 5-level (line-to-line) switched-capacitor multilevel inverter (5 L-SCMLI) design. This design can automatically balance its capacitor voltages and offers a way to increase its voltage gain. There is no extra magnetic circuit or DC-DC boost converter needed to accomplish a voltage gain of two in the proposed topology (PT). The PT is more efficient and cost-effective since it synthesizes 5-levels (line-to-line) using only five switches, two capacitors and one diode. A detailed comparison with current SCMLI structures shows the PT benefits. The extensive simulation and experimental studies have been conducted to validate the PT effectiveness and assess the efficacy of the proposed technique. The PT stands out as the most cost-effective design at only 54.59 USD with an efficiency 97.81%. This work aligns with SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) by proposing a cost-effective, high-efficiency multilevel inverter that enhances energy conversion and supports sustainable power electronics systems.