Highly Efficient GaN-Based PV Inverter with Reduced Leakage Current

This article presents a hybrid modulation scheme for a single-phase transformerless inverter based on H6 topology. This inverter uses Gallium-Nitride (GaN) devices to improve the efficiency and power density of the inverter. A comparative analysis is conducted on two existing modulation schemes. The impact of GaN devices on leakage current and power loss of the H6 inverter is evaluated. Among these schemes, one demonstrates a lower leakage current but higher power loss compared to the other. In this context, the proposed modulation scheme has better performance than the first scheme in terms of efficiency while also exhibiting lower leakage current than the second scheme. The operation modes of the proposed modulation scheme are described and analyzed in detail. The scheme is validated and verified using simulation studies. Furthermore, the scheme is compared with the existing literature to validate the performance of the inverter. A 3 kW PV inverter with the proposed scheme achieves an efficiency improvement of 0.35 % compared to the first scheme and a leakage reduction of 87.89 % towards the second scheme.