Improved Three-Level Boost Converter to Balance Duty Cycles for Fuel Cell and Photovoltaic Applications

This article acknowledges the current serious global pollution problem. While appreciating efforts to bring in renewable energy from sources such as solar panels and fuel cells, it is important to recognize that both types of energy cells have limitations in their output voltage. To overcome this limitation, the use of a three-level boost converter has been proposed. Although this is an interesting solution, there are still limitations in terms of the unevenness of the switching duty cycle. This results in unequal potential differences across the switching devices. The result is an uneven heat buildup inside the device. For this reason, the article proposes a new approach. By combining a “three-level boost converter” with an interleaved boost converter, this innovation balances the switching duty cycle of every switch. As a result, the system works more efficiently and sustainably.