A Modified H-Bridge Multilevel Inverter for Renewable Energy Application

In recent years, the rise in electricity usage has led to the development of renewable energy (RE) sources. Multiple input DC sources may be achieved using various renewable energy sources (RES) such as fuel cells and solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. Consequently, there has been an increased focus on multilevel inverters (MLI), particularly in high and medium-voltage applications. The basic principle of an MLI is that it synthesizes a stepped voltage output waveform using several DC/RE sources and several power semiconductors switches to achieve greater power levels. Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) in the output voltages decreases if the number of output levels increases. The motivation for this research study is the initiative and effort to analyze the MLI's features and capabilities. For applications including renewable energy (RE), the Modified H-Bridge Multilevel Inverter (MHBMLI) has been suggested in this study. The MHBMLI has a lower number of power switches compared to three classical multilevel inverters (MLI) which are Neutral Point Clamped (NPC), Flying Capacitor Inverter (FCI), and Cascaded H-Bridge inverter (CHBI). The simulation model of the configuration circuit and pulse generator for NPC, FCI, CHB, and MHBMLI are designed and analyzed using MATLAB/SIMULINK software to compare the performance of those inverters to produce a five-level output voltage. Based on the simulation results, the performance of the MHBMLI is better than that of FCI and is approximately the same as that of the NPC and CHB. Overall, the suggested inverter is a superior option since it requires fewer power switches, which lowers the circuit's cost, size, and complexity.