Cost-effective clamping capacitor boost converter with high voltage gain

Abstract

In renewable energy generation systems, the DC DC converter with high voltage gain is indispensable, which is usedto convert the low output voltage of photovoltaic (PV) cells and fuel cells to the high DC bus voltage. In this study, a costeffective clamping capacitor boost (CCB) converter with high voltage gain is proposed. In the basis of the conventional boostconverter, a clamping capacitor cell with two capacitors and two diodes is embedded. Then, the voltage gain of the proposedCCB converter can be doubled compared with the conventional boost converter. Further, unlike the switched capacitor highvoltage gain converter, there is no large current spikes on the capacitors in the proposed CCB converter, which can reduce thecurrent stresses and the costs of capacitors a lot. The operation principles and characteristics of the proposed CCB converterare analysed in detail and verified by simulation. Finally, a 450 W prototype is implemented to validate the performances andadvantages of the proposed CCB converter. The proposed CCB converter provides a cost-effective choice for high voltage gainconverters in the renewable energy generation system with PV cells.