Impedance Source-based Multilevel Inverter: A State-of-the-Art Review

Abstract

Impedance source-based multilevel inverters are becoming popular for emerging power generation technologies such as fuel cells, photovoltaic, and wind turbines. It is one of the most promising power electronic interfaces for single stage DC/AC conversion with inherent buck-boost capability. Therefore, in this paper, an extensive review of emerging impedance source-based multilevel inverter (Z-MLI) topologies is presented. These topologies are developed by the combination of impedance source network and multilevel inverter (MLI) with the merits of high voltage gain, enhanced reliability due to shoot-through immunity, improved input voltage regulation, reduced filter size, and better quality of supply. Most of the recent Z-MLI topologies are based on quasi-Z-source network which operates with continuous input current. In order to identify a suitable topology, an exhaustive comparison is made with various configurations of Z-MLIs in terms of component count, boost gain, switching stress, and control complexity.