Switched-Capacitor-Based DC–AC Boosting Circuit: Synthesis and Operation

The novel inverter topologies are often intriguing and ignite interest in knowing the rationale behind their circuit synthesis, which is usually not detailed. This article provides a step-by-step topological derivation of a novel common ground (CG) multilevel inverter with an aim to motivates researchers for proposing new attractive topologies applicable to emerging fields. Further, this article proposes a dual-output, nine-level boosting inverter that combines CG and common-positive (CP) features. By integrating the CGCP characteristics, the proposed inverter draws a non-zero continuous input current (unlike the traditional CG or CP-based inverter), making it highly suitable for photovoltaic (PV) systems. With the CGCP feature, the proposed inverter eliminates ground leakage current caused by PV parasitic capacitance. In addition, the usage of switched-capacitors (SCs) inherently boosts the input voltage. Further, the SCs are self-voltage balanced without relying on a dedicated sensor circuit, reducing the control complexity. Unlike the conventional dual port CG inverters, the proposed CG and CP inverters are fault-tolerant as an independent unit and in combination as well. The decoupled output ports feed the loads independently of each other, thus, can also feed unequal loads. A detailed comparative study is presented to highlight the figures of merit of the proposed inverter against the well-established topologies. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed inverter is validated through several experimental tests conducted on a 1 kW laboratory prototype, and the results are presented.