High step‐up buck–boost DC–DC converter with coupled inductor and low component count for distributed PV generation systems

TLDR: In this paper , a buck-boost converter with a coupled inductor was proposed for distributed photovoltaic (PV) generation systems. And the proposed converter achieved a maximum efficiency rate of 96.58%.

Abstract: This paper presents a non‐isolated high step‐up buck–boost with a coupled inductor DC–DC converter relevant for distributed photovoltaic (PV) generation systems. The proposed topology can reach high voltage gain through the combination of a buck–boost converter with a coupled inductor. The configuration of the proposed converter allows to achieve a natural voltage clamp circuit for the switch, recovering the energy stored in the leakage inductance of the coupled inductor. Moreover, the converter allows soft‐switching conditions, that is, Zero Current Switching (ZCS) for the diodes and nearly ZCS for the active switch. Also, the proposed converter presents a low component count and common ground connection of the input and output. The proposed converter is evaluated theoretically by the principle of operation in continuous‐conduction mode (CCM) and discontinuous‐conduction mode (DCM), voltage gain derivation, external characteristics, semiconductor voltage stress, current stress, and design guidelines. Finally, a 650‐W, 36/380‐V, 50‐kHz prototype was built in the laboratory to experimentally evaluate the proposed converter, which reached a maximum efficiency rate of 96.58%.