With the use of hybrid multilevel inverters it is possible to reduce the number of series-connected cells for a given number of levels, to minimize the THD of the output voltage and, consequently, to reduce or even eliminate the output filter. Therefore, this paper develops a detailed analysis and proposes a generalized design methodology for hybrid multilevel inverters. With the proposed design methodology it is possible to define the number of series-connected cells, the value of the DC voltage source of each cell, to minimize the circulating energy among the series-connected inverters, and the switching frequency of the lowest power cell.
Multilevel inverters; high-power high-performance systems; hybrid power conversion systems
