Reliability analysis of modified Z-source based high gain converter for PV application

High gain converters have received significant acceptance in the era of hybridisation of energy sources, particularly for photovoltaic (PV) integration and vehicle electrification. However, recently presented topologies impose limited gain, confined input variation handling capability, and low device utilization factor. Furthermore, semiconductor devices are more susceptible to faults and play a critical role in system reliability. In recent literature, the performance analysis is confined to limited number of performance indices and in that too in-depth investigation of performance and reliability of converter have been majorly ignored. This article presents a comprehensive investigation of a new cascaded Z-source switched-capacitor (CZSSC) based high gain topology to overcome the above limitations and accommodate the voltage dynamics associated with PV. The proposed work examines the reliability profile, impact assessment of parametric variation, comparison of device stress, and device utilization factor. The reliability assessment for a span of 20 years indicates the superiority of the proposed converter over similar high gain structures. Furthermore, for a 400 V/400 W laboratory prototype, experimental validation is carried out using a solar emulator and a low-cost microcontroller board.