Implementation of Micro-Inverter for PV Based
Stand-Alone Applications
Conan Michael Reynolds
Dr. Febin Daya J. L.
[Link]. Power Electronics and Drives
VIT University Chennai Campus
Chennai, India
conanreynolds@[Link]
Associate Professor,SELECT
VIT University Chennai Campus
Chennai, India
[Link]@[Link]
AbstractElectrical power obtained from solar panels need
to be converted to AC in order to supply the loads. There are
various converter topologies available for this purpose. One of
these types of converters can be directly attached to the back of
a panel. These are known as micro-inverters. This paper shows
the design and implementation of the inverter stage of a singlephase, transformerless micro-inverter topology used for standalone PV applications. The proposed topology is designed for a
230W solar panel.
the DC output of the panel to AC, which is either
synchronized and supplied to a grid, or used for stand-alone
photovoltaic applications. In its most basic form, it can be
viewed as a single unit consisting of, (i) a DC-DC converter
circuit using a maximum power point tracking (MPPT)
control algorithm to optimize the output of the solar panel,
and (ii) a DC-AC inverter along with required filters to
obtain the required sine-wave output with reduced
harmonics. In the case of a PV system with multiple
modules, the performance of each module is not affected by
the defects or shading or other abnormalities of the other
modules. The disadvantage in using micro-inverters is the
increased installation costs and complexity, but has a better
system efficiency and power output compared to the string
inverter approach.
Keywordsmicro-inverter; stand-alone PV; solar panel
I INTRODUCTION
There is an increasing demand for the supply of electrical
energy, globally. Due to the adverse effects of increased
dependence on fossil fuels for this production, the
importance of exploring renewable energies is gaining
momentum. Among the variety of renewable energy
resources available, due to its numerous advantages,
photovoltaic sources are estimated to become the largest
contributors to electric energy generation. Solar cells are
used to convert this energy into electrical energy, but
majority of the cost involved in the generation depends on
the solar inverters used.
Solar inverters can be broadly classified as string
inverters and micro-inverters. String inverters operate on a
string of solar modules, such that they are treated as one big
module. The main disadvantage associated with these types
of inverters is that the maximum power output of the entire
string depends on the weakest module in it. In case of
shading for one module in the entire string, the maximum
power point of that module is tracked and the other solar
modules are made to operate at that power level, thereby
resulting in a low power output of the system. Another
disadvantage of string inverters is that theyre available in a
limited range of power ratings. This means that a solar array
uses an inverter of the next higher rating than the power
output of the string, if the inverter is not available for the
same rating. This also prevents future expansion of the
string, in case the demand is increased, without changing the
inverter. These disadvantages are overcome in the case of a
micro-inverter.
A micro-inverter is an electrical converter circuit
attached to the back of a single solar module, which converts
In this paper, the inverter stage of a proposed topology of
a micro-inverter is studied and designed for a 230W solar
panel. The designed inverter is the simulated using
MATLAB and then a hardware prototype of the same is
implemented.
Fig. 1. Block diagram of a micro-inverter
II MICRO-INVERTER TOPOLOGY AND OPERATING MODES
Fig. 2. shows the circuit diagram of the micro-inverter.
When the output current is positive, all the four inductors
will work; when the output current is negative, only
inductors L02 and L03 will work. L01 and L04 are wave
shaping inductors, whereas, L02, L03 and C form an L-C-L
filter for harmonic elimination.
Switches S1, S4 and S5 operate during the positive half
cycle and S2, S3 and S6 work during the negative half cycle.
S5 and S6 are polarity selection as well as freewheeling
switches when the respective switches are off in that half
cycle. PWM is used to operate switches S1 to S4. The carrier
frequency used is 10 kHz with a reference frequency of 50
Hz.
Fig. 3(d). Negative half cycle with S2, S3 OFF and freewheeling current
through S6 and D6
III SYSTEM DESIGN
Fig. 2. Proposed micro-inverter topology
There are four modes of operation in every cycle of
output power. These can be seen in Fig. 3. During the
positive half cycle S5 stays on while S1and S4 are switched
at a high frequency. When S1 and S4 are off, the current
freewheels through S5 and D5. During the negative half
cycle S6 stays on while S2 and S3 are switched at a high
frequency. When S2 and S3 are off, the current freewheels
through S6 and D6.
The micro-inverter was designed for an Eldora 230 solar
panel, with input voltage as 30V and current of 7A. The
ratings of the panel are as specified in Table 1.
TABLE 1.
ELDORA 230 RATINGS
Parameters
Value
Type
ELV 230
Nominal power PMPP
230
Nominal voltage VMPP(V)
29.8
Nominal current IMPP(A)
7.8
Open circuit voltage VOC(V)
37
Short circuit current ISC(A)
8.4
Module efficiency (%)
14.3
Inductors L01 and L04 are wave shaping inductors of value
60uH each. The output L-C-L filter is designed as shown
below.
Fig. 3(a). Positive half cycle with S1, S4 and S5 ON
Inductor Design
(1)
Where,
i = current ripple in Ampere
and,
i = 20% of Irated
Irated = 7A
Vdc = Vrated = DC input voltage = 30V
fSW = Switching frequency = 10 kHz
Fig. 3(b). Positive half cycle with S1, S4 OFF and freewheeling current
through S5 and D5
(2)
L = 2.34 mH
Capacitor Design
(3)
(4)
Where, fn = 50Hz
= 27
Fig. 3(c). Negative half cycle with S2, S3 and S6 ON
C = 8.6 x 10-4 F
C 10 x 10-4 F
IV MATLAB SIMULATION OF SYSTEM
The micro-inverter was designed and simulated using
MATLAB Simulink. A DC voltage source was applied as
input and the output taken across a resistor of 5. The output
AC voltage and current were obtained. Along with this, an
FFT analysis was done with and without the filter, to show
harmonic elimination. The Simulink model of the inverter is
shown in Fig. 4. The results that were obtained are shown in
Fig. 5. The FFT analysis can be seen in Fig. 6.
Fig. 6(b). MATLAB FFT analysis with filter
V HARDWARE IMPLEMENTATION
A 230W, 30V inverter circuit has been designed and
fabricated to verify the simulation results. The PWM is
applied to the switches using an 8051 microcontroller,
P89V51RD2. A TLP250 driver circuit has been implemented
to amplify the microcontroller output for the switches as well
as to provide isolation of both circuits. The pulses from the
microcontroller and the driver circuit can be seen in Fig. 7.
Fig. 4. MATLAB model of micro-inverter
Fig. 7(a). Microcontroller pulses for PWM and S5 and S6
Fig. 5. MATLAB simulation output
Frequency to voltage calculation
Fig. 6(a). MATLAB FFT analysis without filter
Fig. 7(b). Driver circuit for the six switches
Fig. 7(b). Driver circuit output
The switches used in the micro-inverter circuit are
IRF540 MOSFET switches. The inductors used for wave
shaping and as filters are toroid iron core wound inductors.
The hardware circuit of the micro-inverter can be seen in
Fig. 8.
Fig. 9(b). Output of Micro-inverter without filter
VI CONCLUSION
The micro-inverter was designed successfully.
Neglecting the real-time constraints, the model was
simulated and the required results have been obtained. The
hardware design of the same has been successfully
implemented and tested without the use of the filter.
VII REFERENCES
[1]
[2]
[3]
Fig. 8. Micro-inverter circuit
The hardware experimental setup as well as output
results for a 24V DC input can be seen in Fig. 9, without the
use of filter.
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
Fig. 9(a). Experimental setup of Micro-inverter
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