Versatile Power Electronic Building Block for Residential DC Microgrids

This paper discusses a novel approach to the power electronic building block (PEBB) for residential power generation systems. The PEBB based on the synchronous resonant quasi-Z-source DC-DC converter (SRqZSC) features galvanic isolation, wide input voltage and load regulation range, and high power conversion efficiency. Thanks to the power circuit versatility, the PEBB can be used as a power electronic interface not only for the power sources with unidirectional power flow (e.g. the photovoltaic panels and fuel cells) but also in the bidirectional applications, such as modular battery storage systems. The paper gives an insight into the SRqZSC technology, explains its general design and control principles and applicability issues in the residential power generation systems. Moreover, the experimental results are discussed in the context of different applications by means of the 300 W prototype of the SRqZSC based PEBB for the residential DC microgrids.