A single-phase photovoltaic inverter topology with a series-connected power buffer

Module integrated converters (MICs) have been under rapid developement for single-phase grid-tied photovoltaic applications. The capacitive energy storage implementation for the double-line-frequency power variation represents a differentiating factor among existing designs. This paper introduces a new topology that places the energy storage block in a series-connected path with the line interface block. This design provides independent control over the capacitor voltage, soft-switching for all semiconductor devices, and full four-quadrant operation with the grid. The proposed approach is analyzed and experimentally demonstrated.