A Reconfigurable Fault-Tolerant PV Inverter via Integrating HERIC and H5 Topologies

Solar energy is prevalent in many applications, therefore, the reliability of solar energy systems has become an important topic for research communities and industry. High reliability and fault-tolerant capability are particularly vital for the solar energy systems that are mission-critical and/or inaccessible to affordable maintenance. In order to enhance the reliability of a grid-tied PV system, a fault-tolerant Photovoltaic (PV) inverter, termed Integrated Fault-Tolerant PV Inverter (IFTPVI), is proposed in this paper. The IFTPVI is based on the Highly Efficient and Reliable Inverter Concept (HERIC) and H5 inverters that are both popular and commercialized transformerless inverters in grid-tied PV applications. The IFTPVI can tolerate both open-circuit (OC) and short-circuit (SC) faults while maintaining the same voltage and current levels. The system description, reliability analysis, simulation in Matlab/Simulink 2018, and experimental results are provided to verify the feasibility and viability of the proposed inverter topology.