Performance and simulation analysis of single-phase grid connected PV system based on Z-source inverter

This paper presents photovoltaic (PV) grid-connected power conditioning systems based on Z-source inverter. Using Z-source network, the system can work within a range of PV array output voltage wider than that of the conventional boost converter. It allows the use of the shoot-through switching state for boosting the input voltage, compensates dead-time effect which causes serious output voltage distortions and avoids the risk of damaging the inverter circuit. This condition cannot be obtained in the traditional inverters. The whole system is designed, modeled and simulated in a Matlab/Simulink environment. The simulation results demonstrate that the photovoltaic grid-connected power conditioner based on Z-source inverter can perform maximum power point tracking (MPPT) even in very fast changing environmental conditions and voltage boosting when needed to interface with the utility grid.