Investigation of transformerless topologies for renewable energy applications eliminating leakage currents

In this paper two different approaches found in commercial inverter topologies are investigated in terms of leakage currents elimination. Due to parasitic capacitive elements between the metallic frame of PV systems and the ground earth, high frequency currents leak to the ground aging PV systems performance. Either by employing additional switching components or modified switching patterns, the most significant representatives in the category of transformerless inverters reduce these leakage effects. Using a simulation model for both strategies, the advantages and drawbacks are highlighted by means of leakage currents elimination and overall components usage.