A High Efficiency Si/SiC Inverter for PV Generators

A new high efficiency two-stage inverter topology for PV generators is proposed, which consists of a modified DC-DC boost converter using a Silicon Carbide device and a voltage source inverter using Silicon IGBTs. The boost converter performs maximum power point tracking, while the inverter transfers power to the grid. The modified boost converter takes advantage from the advantageous properties of SiC devices to highly efficiently manage the PV array output power, while also enabling zero voltage switching operation of the inverter. As a results an overall efficiency slightly lower than that of a fully SiC-based two stage inverter is achieved, but at a significantly lower cost. Simulations and cost analysis demonstrate the effectiveness of combining the modified boost topology and mixed Si/SiC technology to improve the efficiency of PV generators at a reasonable cost.