A transformerless grid connected photovoltaic inverter with switched capacitors

In the transformerless photovoltaic (PV) system, the common mode ground leakage current may appear due to the galvanic connection between the PV array and the ground, which causes the safety issues and reduces the efficiency. To solve this problem, a novel inverter topology with switched capacitors is proposed in this paper. By connecting one pole of the PV cell directly to the neutral line of the grid, the common mode current is eliminated. Meanwhile, the switched capacitor technology is applied to increase the DC voltage utilization rate. Furthermore, a modified unipolar sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM) strategy is proposed to reduce the pulsating current caused by the charging and discharging operations of the switched capacitors. Also, several optimization principles are put forward to further reduce the pulsating current to improve the efficiency and reliability. Finally, the proposed topology and modulation strategy are verified with simulation and a 250W experimental prototype.