Single-Phase Switched-Capacitor Five-Level Inverter with Double Voltage Boosting Capability for Renewable Energy Systems and EV

In this paper, a new single-phase five-level boosting inverter with reduced components and simple control technique is presented, suitable for renewable energy systems and electric vehicle (EV) applications. Powered through a DC voltage source, the proposed five-level inverter comprises eight power semiconductor switches and one capacitor. Moreover, only five independent control signals are required to attain double voltage boosting. The maximum voltage stresses of 6/8 switches are also similar as the input voltage. Moreover, alternating operation in the capacitor discharging and charging states ensures self-voltage balancing with small ripple. The topology and operation principles are analyzed in detail, as well as numerous simulation results with different operating conditions of the proposed inverter are provided and discussed for thorough verification.