A single-phase D-STATCOM inverter for distributed energy sources.

Abstract

This thesis presents the design of a multilevel D-STATCOM inverter for small to mid-size (10–20 kW) permanent-magnet wind or solar installations. The proposed inverter can actively regulate the reactive power on individual feeder lines at a programmable output while providing the variable output power of the renewable energy source. The aim is to provide utilities with distributive control of VAR compensation and power factor correction on feeder lines. The designed inverter utilizes a 5-level hybrid-clamped multilevel voltage-source converter topology and uses the optimized harmonic stepped waveform technique for harmonic elimination. The topology allows for the separation of active and reactive power control and the ability to operate under any load conditions. Reactive power is controlled by the modulation index and active power is controlled by the phase angle. Simulations and validation of the proposed inverter were carried out using MATLAB/Simulink and SimPowerSystems toolboxes.