Fault Ride-through of a Grid-connected Photovoltaic System with Quasi Z Source Inverter

Abstract

This article presents fault ride-through schemes for a three-phase quasi Z source single-stage photovoltaic (PV) inverter that is connected to the grid after the distribution network. The quasi Z source inverter employs a unique LC network to couple the inverter main circuit to the input of the PV panel. By controlling the shoot-through duty cycle, the quasi Z source inverter can theoretically produce any desired output AC voltage, even greater than the line voltage. Three different control strategies to improve the low-voltage ride-through capability are proposed when there is voltage sag from the grid side so that the grid fault ride-through requirements can be fulfilled. Scheme A involves control modification in the system; Schemes B and C involve hardware modification in the circuit topology by adding a chopper circuit across the DC link in Scheme B and across the quasi Z source inverter capacitor in Scheme C. A comparative study among the different control schemes is carried out to see the effectiveness of the control schemes under different types of symmetrical and unsymmetrical fault conditions. Observations based on comparing simulations and recommendations are reported.