Hybrid double flying capacitor multicell converter for renewable energy integration

This paper proposes a novel hybrid topology for double flying capacitor multicell (DFCM) converters that is suitable for grid-tied renewable energy systems. The proposed hybrid power converter is realized by the cascade connection of one DFCM power converter and one full-bridge converter (FBC) comprising floating-capacitor. Floating-capacitor voltage of the FBC is regulated naturally at its required voltage level owing to presence of redundant charging/discharging states provided by the proposed switching and modulation pattern for the suggested hybrid converter. So, the proposed control technique not only preserves natural balancing for FC voltages of DFCM converter but also provides natural balancing for floating-capacitor voltage of the FBC. The proposed hybrid DFCM power converter is simulated to inject/absorb active/reactive-power harvested from renewable energy resources into/from power grid. The presented simulation results for suggested hybrid DFCM power converter validate its viability, advantages, effectiveness, and the proposed modulation and control strategy.