Enhanced output voltage regulation in a seven-level inverter with minimal active power switches for renewable energy applications

Smart inverters are a prevalent solution in renewable energy applications due to their capacity to provide output voltage with minimal harmonic distortion and ease of control and operation. This trend has driven the rapid growth of power converters in various renewable energy applications. This research aims to design a strategy and implementation technique for a single-phase seven-level (SPSL) inverter that can control output voltage accurately. This research is innovative because it constructs an SPSL inverter with six active power switches and a new control strategy. This inverter comprises two active power switches that operate as a three-level direct current (DC) voltage shaper and four active power switches for polarity inversion. This inverter is controlled using advanced sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM) methods. The inverter SPSL was selected because it can produce smoother sine waves with a total harmonic distortion (THD) less than the IEEE standard. The SPSL inverter's power circuit is controlled by a microcontroller-based control system, which enables the inverter to dynamically adapt to changes in load and operating conditions. This study performed simulations and verified the design performance via hardware implementation. The results from the simulations and lab tests indicate that the inverter works well with a THD of 4.16%; the SPSL inverter created in this study is a suitable option for improving inverter applications in renewable energy systems.