300 W 4Q PV inverter using new high density control integrated circuits

Increased component integration is essential for new power circuit platforms to decrease cost and size, and increase efficiency and reliability. A 300 W four quadrant (4Q) photo-voltaic grid-tied micro-inverter using two new ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) was built and characterized. This inverter incorporates maximum power point tracking and dynamically operates throughout a power factor range of 0.9 leading to 0.9 lagging, based on grid voltage, to comply with the California Electrical Commission's (CEC) rule 21 requirements. The CEC weighted efficiency of the inverter is higher than 95.5%. Total demand distortion is less than 2% up to the 39th harmonic.