Evaluation of high step-up power conversion systems for large-capacity photovoltaic generation integrated into medium voltage DC grids

With the increase of dc based renewable energy generation and dc loads, the medium voltage dc (MVDC) distribution network is becoming a promising option for more efficient system integration. In particular, large-capacity photovoltaic (PV)-based power generation is growing rapidly, and a corresponding power conversion system is critical to integrate these large PV systems into MVDC power grid. Different from traditional ac grid-connected converters, the converter system for dc grid interfaced PV system requires large-capacity dc conversion over a wide range of ultra-high voltage step-up ratios. This is an important issue, yet received limited research so far. In this paper, a thorough study of dc-dc conversion system for a medium-voltage dc grid-connected PV system is conducted. The required structural features for such a conversion system are first discussed. Based on these features, the conversion system is classified into four categories by series-parallel connection scheme of power modules. Then two existing conversion system configurations as well as a proposed solution are compared in terms of input/output performance, conversion efficiency, modulation method, control complexity, power density, reliability, and hardware cost. In-depth analysis is carried out to select the most suitable conversion systems in various application scenarios.