Photovoltaic Grid-Connected Flyback Micro-
Inverter and Boost MPPT Integrated to Street
Lighting System Based on LEDs
Inverter Stage
Maicol F. de Melo, William D. Vizzotto,
Andr L. Kirsten and Marco A. Dalla Costa
GEDRE, Federal University of Santa Maria
Santa Maria, Brazil RS
maicolmelo@gedre.ufsm.br
AbstractThis work proposes an electronic driver for street
lighting systems integrated to renewable energy. In recent
lighting applications, the use of micro renewable generators in
lighting points makes necessary the use of special electronics to
handle the bidirectional energy flow in the ballast. The
proposed input stage is a topology based on the integration of two
flyback converters with different polarities, in order to avoid the
use of the input diode bridge rectifying stage, allowing the
converter operate with bidirectional energy flow. Thus, this
system has two distinct operation modes. The rectifier mode is
responsible to supply a street lighting system based on LEDs
from de utility grid during the night, and the inverter mode must
deliver energy into the power grid provided by a solar panel
during the day.
This work focuses in the inverter stage, which comprises a
boost converter, responsible for the Maximum Power Point
Tracking (MPPT), and a flyback inverter. The present topology
is an alternative to standard bidirectional input stages, as it can
be used to deliver energy into the power grid, due the avoidance
of the input diode bridge.
KeywordsBi-directional Converters, Grid Connection,
Microgenerators, MPPT.
I. INTRODUCTION
In the last years, the use of photovoltaic energy has been
increasing and has become one of main research topics in the
world. This increase occurred because the concern of society
with renewable energy sources and energy saving.
Furthermore, it is clear that a large use of photovoltaic (PV)
cells will contribute to reduce environmental problems such as
greenhouse and polluting emissions to the atmosphere [1][2].
A tendency for PV distributed power generation systems is
AC module technology, where a single PV panel and an
inverter are integrated together to feed AC power directly to
the grid [3]-[5]. Urgent requirements for small power PV
generation systems include improvements of reliability,
conversion efficiency, lifetime and decrease of production cost.
Moreover, lighting electronics remains as a major research
978-1-4799-2911-5/13/$31.00 2013 IEEE
Jorge Garcia
CE3I2, DIEECS, University of Oviedo
Oviedo/gijon, Spain
topic in the most significant technical conferences [6].
Lighting systems has great relevance in power saving
strategies, techniques for rational use of energy and energy
efficiency [6][7]. Due the importance of this topic in the
current global scenario, the efforts in new light sources
development, new electronic topologies, optimization and cost
reduction of lighting systems have turned into the most
important trends in lighting electronic.
Thus, this paper proposes a hybrid system, combining a
street lighting system based on LEDs with distributed
photovoltaic microgeneration. A block diagram of the proposed
system is presented in Fig. 1.
Resulting electronics power systems for these applications
presents some additional features, as an additional power stage
that delivers energy to the DC link from the renewable energy
source or the necessary capability to deliver energy in both
directions. The typical topology for such applications is the H-
bridge inverter. However, the proposed solution, which is
based on the integration of two flyback converters, each one for
a different polarity of the input voltage, has, inherently, a
bidirectional power flow capability because it avoids the use of
the rectifying diode bridge.
For systems with low power levels, the flyback DCM
converter has been widely used due to its isolation, simple
structure, low cost and high efficiency, for use in lighting
[6][7] and for renewable energy [1][2][8].
Photovoltaic
Energy MPPT
Source PV Converter
Bidirectional
AC EMI DC
AC/DC Lamp
Line Filter Link
Converter
Fig. 1. Block diagram of proposed system.
 This paper presents the operation, design and results Where RMPP is the panel equivalent resistance for nominal
corresponding to inverter mode, which comprises the MPPT operation conditions.
system, employed to maximize the power flow from a
photovoltaic module to a load, and the flyback inverter, B. Minimum duty cycle variation
responsible to deliver energy into the power grid. The minimum duty cycle variation is determinate by two
parts,
II. MPPT SYSTEM
As already mentioned, the MPPT system is responsible to d min = d min1 + d min 2 (3)
extract the maximum power from PV panel. These systems are dmin1 is related with the irradiance variation (S) in one
composed of hardware and software parts. One tracking period of MPPT algorithm,
algorithm, which receives information from the arrangement,
performs the calculation and defines the best operation point.
Other stage comprises the power converter, responsible for V S T K
1
making the arrangement photovoltaic operate in defined point d min1 = mpp (4)
by the algorithm. Concerning the power converter, a boost G0 1
converter is used as tracker, shown in Fig. 2. The boost
H Vmpp +
RMPP
converter is widely used in MPPT systems [9][10]. For the
proposed system, the boost converter is an appropriate solution, G0 is the DC gain of the control to array voltage transfer
in order to increase the panel low voltage and to avoid the high function, K is a material constant and Vmpp is the voltage in
peak currents in the inverter stage. maximum power point.
The issue of MPPT has been addressed in different ways in H is calculate according to panel parameters
the literature but, especially for low-cost implementations, the 3 V +RsI
perturb and observe (P&O) maximum power point tracking 1 1 Rs Ir
MPP
M Vt ns
MPP

algorithm is the most commonly used method due to its ease of H= e (5)
implementation[9]-[11]. 2 M Vt ns RMPP M Vt ns
dmin2 is related with the variation in DC link voltage,
A drawback of P&O is that, at steady state, the operating
ensuring that ripples at twice the frequency of the grid does not
point oscillates around the maximum power point (MPP)
cause unwanted variations in tracking of MPP,
giving rise to the waste of some amount of available energy;
moreover, it is well known that the P&O algorithm can be
confused during those time intervals characterized by rapidly Gvpv 0 PMPP
d min 2 = (6)
changing atmospheric conditions. To limit the negative effects Gvpd 0 2 f AC CBUS VDClink
associated to the above drawbacks, the P&O MPPT parameters
must be customized to the dynamic behavior of the specific Where Gvpv0 = (1-D), Gvpd0 is the DC gain of the transfer
converter adopted. Thus, in the following discussion some function that relates the variation in panel voltage with a
parameters are set for the MPPT system according [9][10]. perturbation on duty cycle, PMPP is the power in maximum
power point, fAC is the grid frequency, CBUS is the bus capacitor
A. Maximum frequency of MPPT algorithm and VDClink is the bus voltage, presented in Fig. 3.
The maximum MPPT frequency is determinate by
C. Maximum duty cycle variation:
1 The maximum increment duty cycle is calculate relative of
T = ln( ) (1) minimum efficiency () of MPPT algorithm, as
n
Where T is the minimum period of MPPT algorithm, n is
the resonance frequency between the inductor (LB) and
capacitor (CPV) of boost converter, normally is determined 1 (1 ) PMPP
d max = (7)
= 0.1, and 2 G0 H V + 1
MPP
1 LB RMPP
= (2)
2 RMPP CPV
DB LB PV III. BIDIRECTIONAL AC/DC CONVERTER: FLYBACK
INVERTER
As already mentioned, many lighting systems with
VDClink distributed photovoltaic microgeneration have been proposed
SB CPV
as a suitable solution for some specific cases.
For the rectifier stage, the usual approach found in literature
Fig. 2. MPPT boost converter. makes use of a dc-dc converter after the diode bridge.
However, for the proposed application presented in this work,
the resulting electronic power system presents the necessary CBUS
Lp Ls1 MosA VDClink
capability to deliver energy in both directions from the first
stage.
The idea of this work is to integrate two different flyback VAC Ls2 MosB MosR
Mos1
stages, one for each polarity of the line voltage, into a single
two-polarity stage. This new approach, represented in Fig. 3,
has, inherently, a bidirectional power flow capability because, (a)
Mos2
as it has been commented before, it avoids the use of the
rectifying diode bridge. In fact, this operation mode has already
been justified in the literature where an integrated topology for
supplying lamps from a DC bus voltage with output AC (HID CBUS
Lp Ls1 MosA VDClink
lamp) voltage is presented [12] and for hybrid systems [6][13].
The following discussion deals with the explanation of the Ls2 MosB MosR
inverter operation. VAC
Mos1

A. Operation under positive grid voltage (b)

This condition can be expressed by AC
V (t ) > 0
. The
switches Mos1, Mos2, MosB and MosR operate at low
frequency. The switches Mos1, MosB and MosR are kept
constantly turned off during this period, while Mos2 is kept
turned on continuously during this period. The switch MosA is
the main switch under positive grid voltage, being the only
switch that operates at high frequency.
In the first stage, as can be seen in Fig. 4(a), MosA turns
on, and the dc link voltage, VDClink, is applied in Ls1 and the
magnetizing inductance of the transformer begins to charge
through the diode of MosR. The diode of Mos1 is reversely
biased, and thus no current flows through the primary winding.
In the second stage, MosA turns off, and the magnetizing
inductor discharges through the LP, forward biasing the diode
of Mos1, considering Mos2 conducting. This stage is presented
in Fig. 4(b). Even MosR remains off during the whole
operation of the inverter mode, it must be used to prevent the
discharge through Ls1 during this stage.
Once the magnetizing inductor of the transformer is fully
demagnetized (as necessary in DCM mode), the diode of Mos1
is reverse biased, and no current flows through the transformer,
as can be seen in Fig. 4(c), which represents the third stage.
Lp Ls1 CBUS
MosA
Ls2
MosB MosR
Mos1
Mos2
Mos2
CBUS
Lp Ls1 MosA VDClink
VAC Ls2 MosB MosR
Mos1
(c)
Mos2
Fig. 4. Proposed input stage for positive line voltage condition. a) Switch
MosA turned on. b) Switch MosA turned off, demagnetizing inductor. c)
Switch MosA turned off, inductor demagnetized.
B. Operation under negative grid voltage
This condition can analogously be expressed by
V AC (t ) < 0
. As can be seen in Fig. 2, there is symmetry in the
circuit regarding the input voltage. In fact, the operation now is
very similar to the one discussed previously, just interchanging
the subscripts "1" and A by subscripts "2" and B in the
previous discussion. The considerations and conclusions are
the same than in the previous analysis for positive grid voltage.
VDClink
The mains waveforms for the inverter operation are
presented in Fig. 5, where GMosA, GMosB, GMos2 and
GMos1 express the gate signals, while ILS and ILP represent
the currents in secondary and primary windings. For simplicity,
it must be noticed how the switch Mos1 can to be driven by the
inverted gate signal of Mos2. As these switches share the gate
terminal, their gate commands can be the same voltage signal.

Fig. 3. Proposed input stage based in the integration of two Flyback stages.
 V pk N S (9)
Dmax =
V pk N S + VDClink N P
where Vpk is the peak voltage of the grid, NP and NS are the
turns of primary and secondary winding.
Based on the PV panel power (PPV), the inductance of the
primary winding of the flyback is given by

VDClink 2 Vpk 2 NS 2
LP = 2 (10)
N
PPV fs (Vpk NS +VDClink NP )
2
S
NP
where fs is the switching frequency of the inverter mode.
The primary peak current can be expressed in terms of
parameters of the inverter, as

NP
Vpk +VDClink PPV (11)
NS
Ipmax =
Vpk VDClink
The photovoltaic panel chosen is the KC130TM of
KYOCERA. Its power on the maximum power point is 130W
(7.39A and 17.6V). Through (11), it is possible to observe that
higher bus voltage causes smaller currents stress. This way, a
boost converter is justified to elevate the panel voltage,
reducing the losses on semiconductors. The bus voltage is
design to be

VDClink = 70V (12)

but it depends on the operation point of the MPPT tracker.

Fig. 5. Mains waveforms for the inverter operation.
IV. DESIGN FOR THE INVERTER MODE
During the main switch, MosA or MosB, is turned on, the
magnetizing current increases linearly. The peak value of
magnetizing current during one switching period of main
switch, ILmpk, is determined by
V (8)
ILm pk = DClink D ts
Ls
To ensure reliable operation of the flyback inverter in
DCM, the maximum duty cycle of the inverter operation is
determined by the voltage-second balance, as
The turn ratio of the bidirectional AC/DC was defined
NP (13)
=3
NS
based in one analysis of the voltage and current stresses for
both stages, rectifier and inverter.
Other important parameter is the CBUS, which is
determinate by (6) related with dmin2. It has been selected a
2.2mF capacitor. It is important to contrast that this capacitance
maintains a small current ripple in LEDs, this way, it is not
necessary to use one output stage for supplying the LEDs in
rectifier mode.
A. Considerations of the Lp choice
The definition of LP must take into account the two-stage
operation. The inductance for the rectifier stage is calculated by
Vpk 2 Dmax 2 (14)
LP =
4 Pleds fs
Its necessary make a good choice of LP value to have
satisfactory performances on both operations modes, rectifier
and inverter. For this, the switching frequency could be
variable. Fig. 6 shows the curves of the LP for the rectifier and NS
the inverter in function of switching frequency. VMOSA = 2 Vgrid (22)
NP
VMOSB = 0V (23)

From Fig. 4(c),

VMOS 1 = Vgrid (24)

VMOS 2 = 0V (25)

VMOSA = VMOSB = VDClink (26)

V. SIMULATION RESULTS
In this section, the simulation results of the topology are
presented. The circuit parameters of the complete proposed
system are presented in Table I.
Fig. 6. Inductances of primary for rectifier and inverter modes.
TABLE I - CIRCUIT PARAMETERS
The unique limitations to choose the switching frequencies MPPT
are the audible noise below 20kHz and high frequencies that Maximum frequency fe 3476Hz
cause large switching losses. As a result, the chosen inductance Minimum Increment Duty Cycle dmin 1.166%
is 640uH, which results in a switching frequency of 30kHz for Maximum Increment Duty Cycle dmax 1.7%
the rectifier, and 60kHz for the inverter. Bidirectional AC/DC Converter
AC filter inductor Lf 3.5mH
B. Components Design AC filter capacitor Cf 330nF
Rectifier frequency fsr 30kHz
In order to properly design the components, it is necessary Inverter Frequency fsi 60kHz
to analyze the three operation modes from Fig. 4. Primary inductor LP 640uH
DC link capacitor CBUS 2.2mF
From Fig. 4(a), the MosA and MosR are in conduction Bus Voltage VDClink 70V
mode, so the voltage is zero. Grid Voltage VAC 220V

VMOSB = 2 VDClink (15) Fig. 7 shows the maximum power available in PV panel
NP during an irradiance parabolic variation (Pmax), and the real
VMOS 1 = Vgrid + VDClink (16) power extracted by MPPT system (Vpv*Ipv). The discrepancy
NS of results in the transient time is due the charge of bus
VMOS 2 = 0V (17) capacitor.
From Fig. 4(b), the Mos1 and Mos2 are in conduction The maximum power available is variable due the
mode, so the voltage is zero. irradiance reference used. The VDClink voltage, for this
irradiance, is presented in Fig. 8.
NS
1. When: Vgrid < VDClink
NP
VMOSR = 0V (18)

NS (19)
VMOSA = Vgrid + VDClink
NP
N (20)
VMOSB = VDClink Vgrid S
NP
NS
2. When: Vgrid > VDClink Fig. 7. Operation of MPPT system.
NP
N (21)
VMOSR = Vgrid S VDClink
NP
 VI. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
In this section, some experimental results of the flyback
inverter topology are presented. Although a resistive load has
been used, the synchronism was implemented. The gate signals
GMosA and GMos2 are presented synchronized with the grid
voltage, as can be observed in Fig. 12.
The circuit parameters of the implemented system are
presented in Table II. The used power input for the flyback
inverter was 120Watts, considering around 92% the boost
converter efficiency.
Fig. 8. VDClink voltage.

Fig. 9 shows the currents ILp and ILs at high frequency in the
peak of grid voltage, where can be observed the complete
discharge of magnetizing inductor.

Fig. 12. Gate signals synchronized

Fig. 13 shows the currents ILp and ILs at low frequency.

Fig. 9. Currents in the primary and secondary windings at high frequency.

Fige 10 shows the voltage and current deliver into the grid
for the reference used. Fig 11 shows these waveforms at
nominal PV panel power.

Fig. 13. Currents in the primary and secondary windings at low frequency.

Fig. 14 shows the same currents at high frequency in the

peak of grid voltage.

Fig. 10. Current deliver into the grid for used reference

Fig. 14. Currents in the primary and secondary windings at high frequency.

Fig. 15 shows the grid voltage, used in synchronism, and de

Fig. 11. Current deliver into the grid for nominal power current deliver into the load.
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[2] Young-Hyok Ji, Doo-Yong Jung, Jae-Hyung Kim, Chung-Yuen Won
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Fig. 15. Grid voltage and current deliver into the load.
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TABLE II - EXPERIMENTAL PARAMETERS FOR THE FLYBACK [6] Garcia, J.; Dalla-Costa, M.A.; Andre Luis Kirsten, A.L.; Gacio, D.;
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[7] Y.-C.Chuang,Y.-L.Ke,H.-S.Chuang,andC.-C.Hu,Single-stagepower-
Input Flyback Power Pin 120W
factor-correction circuit with flyback converter to drive LEDs for
Efficiency 84% lighting applications, Proc. IEEE Ind. Appl. Soc. Annu. Meet., pp. 19,
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7th International Power Electronics and Motion Control Conference
VII. CONCLUSION ECCE, June. 2012, Harbin, China.
This paper proposes a system applied to renewable energy [9] N. Femia, G. Petrone, G. Spagnuolo, and M. Vitelli, Optimization of
perturb and observe maximum power point tracking method, IEEE
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systems. This proposed topology allows for a bidirectional
[10] N. Femia, G. Petrone, G. Spagnuolo, and M. Vitelli, A technique for
flow of energy, due to the avoidance of the diode full-bridge improving P&O MPPT performances of double-stage grid-connected
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ACKNOWLEDGMENT 2010.
The authors would like to acknowledge the Federal [12] A. L. Kirsten, T. B. Marchesan, M. A. Dalla Costa, and R. N. do Prado,
Resonant Technique for Bidirectional Flyback Converter. Electronics
University of Santa Maria, University of Oviedo and CAPES Letters, vol. 45, 25 Edio, pp. 1345-1346, 2009.
for financial support. [13] Garcia, J.; Dalla-Costa, M.A.; Kirsten, A.; Gacio, D.; Quintana, P.,
"Study of a flyback-based stage as grid interface topology for micro-
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