High gain boost DC-DC converters with minimized switch stress for renewable energy applications

Abstract This paper introduces a new series of non-isolated boost DC-DC converters, showcasing a novel high step-up switching cell integrated into a basic boost converter to form a new transformerless converter design. The primary focus is on achieving significant voltage gains with moderate duty cycles while minimizing the stress on semiconductor devices. Comprehensive comparative analyses underline the new converter’s advantages over existing models regarding voltage and current stresses, component count, and performance metrics. Additionally, the converter’s design simplifies transistor driving by utilizing a single switch, enhancing operational ease. Detailed theoretical explanations are provided for continuous conduction mode (CCM), discontinuous mode (DCM), and boundary condition mode (BCM), including equations for voltages and currents. The proposed converter’s effectiveness is examined through simulation and experimental validation. A 260-watt PV panel supplied by the proposed converter prototype demonstrates the converter’s impressive boosting capability and high efficiency across 0.5 a duty cycle with a constant input voltage, providing solid proof of concept for the proposed designs. These findings promise substantial advancements in designing and applying high-gain boost converters in various electronic, industrial, and renewable energy applications.