Control and Performance of 240-Clamped Space Vector PWM in Three-Phase Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Converters Under Adverse Grid Conditions

This article evaluates the performance of a relatively new pulsewidth modulation (PWM) method i.e., 240$^\circ$-clamped space vector PWM (240CPWM), in three-phase grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) converters under various grid voltage conditions. 240CPWM is a minimum switching loss PWM method that reduces the switching loss by 85% at unity power factor and has better total harmonic distortion (THD) as compared to conventional space vector PWM. A unique six-pulse dynamically varying dc-link voltage is required for 240CPWM. Typically, a three-phase grid-connected PV system consists of a dc–dc stage followed by a dc–ac stage. In this article, the dc–dc stage is operated in closed-loop control to shape the dynamic dc-link voltage required for 240CPWM. The dc–ac stage is operated in the current control mode using a proportional–integral controller along with a harmonic compensator to ensure sinusoidal grid currents along with maximum power point tracking. The modulation index of the dc–ac stage is uncontrolled and fixed at the maximum value, and the primary control mechanism changes the magnitude, phase, and wave shape of the dc-link voltage. The coordinated control of dc–dc and dc–ac stages is ensured for better dynamic performance and grid support functions. Finally, the performance of the grid-connected PV converter with 240CPWM is validated using a three-phase 3-kW 208-V hardware prototype under nonunity power factors, voltage unbalance, and voltage sag/swell conditions for the first time. The implemented control with 240CPWM achieves smooth operation under nonunity power factor and grid voltage disturbance conditions with THD as low as 3.5% and peak combined efficiency of dc–dc and dc–ac stages as 96.4%.