Analysis of Cascaded Multilevel Inverters for Smart Grid Connected PV Systems

With the increasing need for renewable energy systems to reduce the dependence on conventional resources and fossil fuels and to counter the impact of their usage, more efficient and robust power generation, management and storage systems are required. To best augment the capabilities of such systems, it is imperative that a smart grid-based control strategy is adopted. This will improve the efficiency of such a system and will lead to better integration of the system with the grid. With increased penetration of such smart grid connected systems, the need for securing them from cyberattacks, having the potential to cripple strategic assets of nations, becomes quite necessary. In this paper, a Cascaded H-bridge-based Multilevel Inverter topology is proposed, for integration of PV systems in smart grid. A possible cloud control strategy using blackboard architecture and protection has also been discussed.