Single-Phase Standalone Multi-Port DC/AC Inverter for Multiple Energy Production and Storage Units
Michail Dakanalis, Eftichios Koutroulis, Fotios D. Kanellos
Abstract
Multi-port power converters enable the combination of renewable energy sources and energy storage. This paper presents a single-phase standalone multi-port inverter (MPI) that integrates a photovoltaic (PV) array, a battery storage unit, a supercapacitor (SC) bank, and electric vehicle (EV) battery. The proposed MPI regulates the power flow between these ports to ensure optimal energy management and reliable operation of the AC power-supply system. The PV array is directly connected to the DC-link, eliminating the need for an additional power converter and reducing the volume and cost of the overall MPI. The energy management algorithm is designed to independently control each port and maintain a power balance between the input and output of the proposed MPI. Compared to conventional MPI architectures, the multi-port DC/AC inverter proposed in this paper contains less power devices, resulting in reduced switching power losses and implementation cost. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed system in regulating each port independently under various power flow scenarios, with a maximum efficiency of 95.3%.