Abstract

Multilevel inverters have several advantages over conventional two level inverter, due to their modularity and decreased filter size. Multilevel inverters can be derived using both fundamental frequency switching and higher frequency switching as well. This paper focuses on using phase-shift pulse width modulation technique (PWM) for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) in distributed photovoltaic (PV) systems. The proposed modulation technique overcomes the problem of partial shading conditions by generating the modulation signal for each PV module that corresponds to the maximum power point tracking MPPT. The proposed method can be extended to cover any number of PV modules without any control complexity and lookup tables. The performance of the proposed technique has been simulated and tested using MATLAB SIMULINK environment and investigated with different radiation and loading conditions.