Active power electronic transformer based on modular building blocks

Smart grid structure could be very complex. Active power electronic transformers (APETs), composing an important part of the smart grid, could have many roles in that stochastic and variable system. Modular structure is the key to flexibility, reduced costs and losses. We propose a base module of the APET consisting of modular building blocks, also known as power electronics building blocks (PEBBs). PEBBs have plug-and-play functionality and can be connected together in various ways. Therefore, it is easy to adapt the APET to any kind of voltage level and type. To guarantee power quality, the base module has the functionality of power factor correction and active power injection. The performance of the base module was verified by computer-aided simulations.