H8 architecture for reduced common-mode voltage three-phase PV converters with silicon and SiC power switches

This paper presents a three-phase converter architecture with a reduced common mode voltage to be used in photovoltaic power systems. The full-bridge architecture is modified by adding two additional switches in the DC path that allow decoupling the load from the source during the freewheeling phases. Optimized modulation strategies are analyzed and compared against the space vector modulation for the full-bridge. Extensive measurements show an improved efficiency when SiC devices are used, and a theoretical analysis links this efficiency to a marked extension of the converter lifetime.