An Experimental Design of a DC-AC Voltage Source Inverter Suitable for Renewable Energy Sources

This paper aims to develop an affordable DC-AC Voltage Source Inverter (VSI) suitable for renewable energy applications such as Electric Vehicles. The use of wind and solar energy sources grid integration requires the electric conversion into alternative current for energy adaptation. Conventional inverters, employing electronic thyristors, have inherent limitations. To overcome these drawbacks and enhance overall efficiency and performance, modern inverters incorporate IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) modules, addressing the shortcomings of the previous design. The paper provides a comprehensive description of the design and implementation of both power circuit board and drive circuit board of a three-phase DC-AC Voltage Source Inverter. In addition, the low-cost built VSI can be controlled via signals ranging from 3.3 to 15 volts. These features permit the use of low-cost microcontrollers that provide low voltage, such as Arduino, DSPs, Raspberry Pi, and so on, rather than the commercial VSI by SEMIKRON that requires an extra driver to boost the signal control voltage to 15 volts. Ultimately, the efficacy and efficiency of the designed inverter are validated through experimental tests conducted in both open and closed modes of control, using a Proportional-Integral (PI) controller. The obtained results affirm the validity and efficiency of the realized Voltage Source Inverter.