A more efficient current source inverter with series connected AC capacitors for photovoltaic and fuel cell applications

Klumpner, Christian; Chonlatee, Photong; Wheeler, Patrick

Abstract

Renewable energy sources such as photovoltaics (PVs) or fuel cells (FCs) are not fitted for direct power grid connection because they deliver DC voltage and current. In addition, they also have a high internal resistance/nonlinear V/I dependence, which is why a power electronic interface is always needed. This paper presents the implementation of a three-phase power electronic interface for PV/FCs that uses a single conversion stage approach based on a current source inverter (CSI) topology with series connected capacitors, that would need only six reverse blocking IGBTs and due to the possibility to reduce the AC voltage at high load, would reduce the size of magnetics and the losses compared to a standard CSI.

• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Institution Citation: Klumpner, C., Chonlatee, P., & Wheeler, P. (in press). A more efficient current source inverter with series connected AC capacitors for photovoltaic and fuel cell applications
• Related Public URLs: http:/www.pcim.de; http://powerelectronics...rchive/pcim-europe-2009
• Copyright Statement: Copyright information regarding this work can be found at the following address: http://eprints.nottingh.../end_user_agreement.pdf
• Additional Information: Published in: International Exhibition and Conference for Power Electronics, Intelligent Motion and Power Quality 2009 (PCIM Europe 2009). Stuttgart, Germany : Mesago PCIM GmbH, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-6156-7251-6. pp. 153-158.