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Transactions on Industrial Electronics
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Decoupled Control Scheme of Grid-Connected
Split-Source Inverters
Ahmed Abdelhakim, Student Member, IEEE, Paolo Mattavelli, Fellow Member, IEEE,
Valeria Boscaino, Member, IEEE, and Giuseppe Lullo, Member, IEEE
Abstract—Grid-connected power conversion systems
for renewable energy sources (RESs) must fulfill several
requirements, e.g. the high efficiency, the reduced cost
and complexity, and, quite often, the boost capabilities
that is usually achieved using a front-end dc-dc boost
converter (BC) before the inversion stage, leading to a
two-stage architecture. Meanwhile, single-stage power con-
version systems, which perform the boosting operation
within the inversion one, offer some potential advantages,
in terms of reducing the complexity and the volume of the
whole system. Among several proposed options, the split-
source inverter (SSI) has been recently proposed in [1] as
an alternative option with some interesting features to the
commonly used Z-source inverter (ZSI). Taking into account
that the SSI is controlled by a single parameter, i.e. its dc
and ac sides are controlled by the modulation index, it is
of paramount importance to investigate its control scheme
in grid-connected mode, which has never been studied yet.
Hence, this paper models the SSI dc side and proposes a
modified modulation scheme combined with the commonly
used synchronous reference frame control technique to
achieve a decoupled control scheme of the SSI in grid-
connected mode, i.e. the dc and the ac sides of the SSI can
be controlled independently, which is convenient for many
applications. The introduced control scheme is analyzed
and simulated using a MATLAB/Simulink model, where a
reduced scale 1 kVA grid-connected SSI is designed and
simulated for the sake of experimental validation. Finally,
the designed system is implemented experimentally to val-
idate and verify the reported analysis and simulations.
Index Terms—Decoupled control, Grid-connected,
Impedance-based inverters, Renewable energy sources,
Single-stage, Space vector, Split-source inverter,
Synchronous reference frame, Voltage source inverter,
Z-source inverter.
I. I NTRODUCTION
HE DIFFUSION of different renewable energy sources
T (RESs) into the power system is continuously increasing,
in which the role of power electronics technology in the em-
ployed power conditioning stage is of paramount importance
Manuscript received October 22, 2016; revised January 30, 2017;
accepted February 8, 2017.
A. Abdelhakim is with the Department of Management and Engineer-
ing, University of Padova, Italy, and also with the Electrical Engineering
Department, Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, Alexandria,
Egypt (e-mail: ahmed.a.abdelrazek@ieee.org).
P. Mattavelli is with the Department of Management and Engineering,
University of Padova, Italy (e-mail: mattavelli@ieee.org).
V. Boscaino and G. Lullo are with the Department of Energy, Informa-
tion Engineering, and Mathematical Models, University of Palermo, Italy
(e-mail: valeria.boscaino@dieet.unipa.it, lullo@ieee.org).
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to fulfill several requirements [2], [3]. Such requirements vary
from the input side, i.e. the RES, to the output side, i.e. the
power grid. For the input side, the control of the RES operating
point and the regulation of its output voltage are mandatory
issues to be considered due to their dependence on the varying
climate conditions [4], [5]. Meanwhile, for the output side,
specific control schemes are implemented to comply with the
standards requirements, e.g. the low harmonic contents of the
injected line current [6].
During the last few years, single-stage power conversion
systems has undergone a fast evolution to replace the conven-
tional two-stage architecture, which includes a front-end dc-
dc boost converter (BC) and an output voltage source inverter
(VSI) [7], [8]. This evolution has grown up to improve the
overall system performance in terms of reducing its size,
weight, and complexity. Most of these single-stage topologies
and their different modulation schemes have been reviewed in
[1], [8], [9]. Among these different single-stage options, the
split-source inverter (SSI), shown in Fig. 1(a), has been re-
cently proposed in [1] as a single-stage dc-ac power converter
topology to overcome some demerits in the other single-stage
topologies, like the discontinuity of the input current and the
dc-link voltage.
According to [1], [10]–[13], the SSI has the following
merits:
• continuous dc-link voltage;
• continuous input current;
• lower switch voltage stresses with higher voltage gains,
i.e. for lower input dc voltages, compared to the other
equivalent topologies;
• lower passive component-count;
• no need for additional active switches compared to the
standard VSI;
• same standard modulation schemes as the VSI for basic
operation;
• same switching states as the VSI.
Meanwhile, it suffers from the following demerits:
• higher current stresses of the lower switches;
• higher voltage stresses and higher THD of the output
voltage for lower voltage gains, i.e. for higher input dc
voltages;
• high frequency commutations of the input diodes.
Several research works have been done on the SSI, as in
[10]–[13], where the authors in [10]–[12] are discussing its
three-level operation using the diode-clamped and flying ca-
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SaU SbU ScU

Da vai iL iL
+ C iL L + C + C
vinv Db vbi L L
vinv vinv
+ Dc vci + +
+ + +
− Vin vsw SaL SbL ScL − vsw = 0 − vsw = vinv
−
− −

(a) (b) (c)

Figure 1. Split-source inverter (SSI). (a) three-phase two-level SSI circuit diagram; (b) equivalent circuit of the SSI during the charging of L using
seven different combinations of the lower switches, which include the six active states and one zero state, when all the lower switches are ON; (c)
equivalent circuit of the SSI during the discharging of L when all the upper switches are simultaneously ON, which represents the remaining zero
state.

pacitors bridges, while its single-phase operation is discussed
in [13]. Meanwhile, its control scheme in grid-connected
mode of operation has not been investigated yet. The SSI is
modulated using the same eight standard states of the VSI,
unlike the ZSI that utilizes an additional state, called the shoot-
through state, to achieve the boosting capability. Such addi-
tional state gives an additional degree of freedom to control its
dc side independently from the ac one as discussed in [14]–
[16], in which the two-stage conventional control method is
utilized. Hence, it is of paramount importance to investigate
the possibility of using the conventional synchronous reference
frame control technique, that is commonly used with the two-
stage architecture, with the so-called SSI, which is convenient
for many applications. Accordingly, this paper models the SSI
dc side and proposes a modified modulation scheme combined
with the synchronous reference frame control technique to
achieve a decoupled control scheme of the SSI in grid-
connected mode, i.e. the dc and the ac sides of the SSI can
be controlled independently. In this decoupled control scheme,
the common mode term of the ac modulating signals is used
to regulate the dc side, leading to an additional degree of
freedom of having two control parameters like the two-stage
architecture.
The control system analysis and investigation of different
single-stage topologies in grid-connected mode of operation
is significantly increasing for different applications. In [17],
the authors discussed the control of the three-phase multilevel
quasi-Z-source inverters (qZSIs) in grid-connected mode for
photovoltaic systems, while authors in [18]–[20] introduced an
energy storage system based on the qZSIs without additional
circuitry, taking the advantage of several passive elements
without limiting the control system flexibility. On the other
hand, a controller design for the grid-connected ZSI has
been discussed in [21] to improve the power quality of the
distribution system. Furthermore, the use of the qZSI as an
interlinking converter in a typical ac-dc hybrid microgrid
has been investigated in [22], in which its control using
the maximum boost approach has been studied. Hence, it
was mandatory to introduce such investigation with the SSI
to figure out the possibility of using it in grid-connected
mode and layout the mandatory design steps to achieve this
goal, and, also, highlight the associated limitations with this
operation.
The rest of this paper is organized as follows: section II
reviews operation, modulation, and mathematical derivation of
the three-phase two-level SSI proposed in [1]. Section III stud-
ies the modeling and the dynamic characteristics of the SSI dc
side, while section IV introduces the decoupled control scheme
of the grid-connected SSI, discussing the adopted modification
with its conventional modulation scheme. Then, a detailed
design steps of a reduced scale 1 kV A grid-connected SSI for
the sake of experimental validation is introduced in section V,
which is simulated using a MATLAB/Simulink model. The
design steps introduced in section V include the parameters
of the SSI and the employed different PI controllers in the
introduced control scheme. Finally, the designed 1 kV A grid-
connected SSI is implemented experimentally in section VI to
validate and verify the reported analysis and simulation results.
II. SSI R EVIEW
The three-phase two-level SSI, introduced in [1] and shown
in Fig. 1(a), uses the standard B6-bridge with the same eight
states of the traditional space vector modulation. This inverter
charges the inductor L when at least one of the lower switches
is ON as shown in Fig. 1(b), i.e. L charges during the six
active states and one of the two zero states, when all the lower
switches are ON. Meanwhile, it uses the remaining zero state
shown in Fig. 1(c), when all the upper switches are ON, to
discharge L and charge the capacitor C.
The modified space vector (MSV) modulation scheme,
proposed in [1], is considered in this review, whose reference
signals are shown in Fig. 2(a). As stated above, L is charged
when at least one of the reference signals is smaller than the
carrier signal (i.e. when min(va∗ , vb∗ , vc∗ ) < Carrier). When
this condition is not satisfied, L discharges through the free
wheeling diodes of the upper switches into C. It is worth
noting that the frequency modulation index (Mf ) used in
Fig. 2(a) is low so as to elucidate the SSI operating principle,
while the value used in the simulation and experimental parts
is much higher.
According to [1], L is charged with a constant duty cycle
(D) equals M , being M is as defined in Fig. 2(a), while

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vc∗ va∗ vb∗ vc∗ va∗ vb∗ 2Mdc

2Mac
1
1
2M

(p.u.)
(p.u.)

0 0

−1 −1
0 T1 T1 3T1 T1 0 T1 T1 3T1 T1
4 2 4 4 2 4
t t
(a) (b)
Figure 2. Reference signals of the conventional and the proposed modulation schemes for one fundamental cycle, considering a low frequency
modulation index (Mf ) to elucidate the SSI operating principle. (a) modified space vector (MSV) modulation scheme proposed in [1]; (b) proposed
regulated MSV (RMSV) modulation scheme, where T1 is the fundamental period, M = 0.6, Mf = 9, Mac = 0.6, and Mdc = 0.75.

the normalized average dc-link voltage (Vinv /Vin ) and the These equations could be represented in state-space form,
normalized output fundamental peak phase voltage (Vφ1 /Vin ) considering iL and vinv as state variables. Hence, the state-
are given by space equations during tOF F and tON periods are given by
Vinv 1
= , (1) dx
Vin 1−M = A1 x(t) + B1 u(t), (7)
dt
Vφ1 M
=√ . (2) dx
Vin 3(1 − M ) = A2 x(t) + B2 u(t), (8)
dt
Finally, the desired inductance and capacitance can be respectively, where x(t), u(t), A1 , B1 , A2 , and B2 are
calculated by given by
M · Vin    
L= , (3)
fs · ∆IL iL vin
x(t) = , u(t) = , (9)
vinv iinv
(1 − M ) · Idc  rL   
C= , (4) − L − L1 1
0
fs · ∆Vinv A1 = 1 , B1 = L , (10)
0 0 0
where ∆IL and ∆Vinv are the peak-to-peak inductor current  CrL  1 
−L 0 0
and dc-link voltage ripples respectively, Idc is the average A2 = , B2 = L , (11)
0 0 0 − C1
inductor current, and fs is the switching frequency.
where vin is the instantaneous value of the the input dc source,
III. M ODELING OF THE SSI D C S IDE whose average value is Vin .
The averaged state-space equation could be obtained by
This section discusses the small signal model of the SSI
multiplying (7) and (8) by (1 − d) and d respectively, where
dc side that is used later in the controller design. The state-
d is the ac variable of the variable D. This averaged model is
space equations of the SSI can be written by dividing each
given by
switching period Ts into two main intervals: the first one is
tON , which is shown in Fig. 1(b) and represents the charging dx
={(1 − d(t))A1 + d(t)A2 }x(t)+
period of L, i.e. L is shunt connected to the dc source and C dt (12)
is supplying the load during the active states, while the second {(1 − d(t))B1 + d(t)B2 }u(t).
one is tOF F and shown in Fig. 1(c), in which L is discharging
Then, to study the small signal behavior, the obtained
and connected in series with the dc source and C, i.e. C is
averaged state-space time varying system, described in (12),
charged during this zero state, acting as an intermediate stage
can be linearized using the perturbation technique, where each
of the energy transfer. Thus, applying kirchhoff’s voltage law
variable v(t) is replaced by a steady-state value (V ) plus a
(KVL) and kirchhoff’s current law (KCL) during tON , the
perturbation signal (ṽ(t))s, i.e. v(t) = V + ṽ(t). Then, the
following equations are obtained
following equations could be derived:
diL 1 rL
dt
= · Vin −
L L
· iL , Vinv
ĩL (s) = ˜ − 1 − D · ṽinv (s),
· d(s)
(5) L · s + rL L · s + rL
dvinv 1 (13)
= − · iinv , IL + Iinv ˜ 1−D
dt C ṽinv (s) = − · d(s) − · ĩL (s),
C ·s C ·s
where rL is the internal resistance of the input inductor. Then,
applying KVL and KCL during tOF F yields where the second order terms are neglected and constant load
current and input voltage are assumed. From these equations,
diL 1 rL 1 the characteristic equation of the SSI dc side can be written
= · Vin − · iL − · vinv ,
dt L L L (6) as
dvinv 1 rL (1 − D)2
= · iL . s2 + ·s+ = 0, (14)
dt C L L·C

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Lf
+ C iL L
vinv
ia vag
ib vbg Grid
+ ic vcg
− Vin

iabc vabcg

vinv iL Vdc +
abc/dq θg Phase-locked loop
− (PLL)

id iq θg ωg vdg vqg
vinv id vdg
Id∗ vd∗i θg ∗
vabc
+ − +
∗ i
Vinv − P Iv + P Id +
−

iq x ∗
vdqi 2
ωg Lf dq/abc ∗
Vinv RMSV +
−
id x
vq∗i
Iq∗
+
+ P Iq +
− +

vqg
iq
−(1 − Mdc )
iL
−
IL∗ + P Ii

Macmax
1 max(va∗ , vb∗ , vc∗ ) 0.5 1
− +
0 +
−
0.5 −
0.5
−1 min(va∗ , vb∗ , vc∗ ) 0.5 min(va∗ , vb∗ , vc∗ ) 0
−Macmax

Figure 3. Decoupled control scheme of the grid-connected SSI using an interfacing inductance, where the synchronous reference frame and the
regulated modified space vector (RMSV) modulation scheme are combined together to develop it.

Hence, the SSI dc side natural frequency ωn and damping
factor ξ are given by
1−D
ωn = √ , controls the ac and the dc sides dependently, where the peak
r L · C
C rL
ξ= · .
L 2(1 − D)
IV. D ECOUPLED C ONTROL S CHEME
G RID -C ONNECTED SSI
In this section, the analysis of the introduced control
scheme, which is used with the SSI in grid-connected mode
of operation, is developed and studied. As discussed before,
the main purpose is to investigate the possibility of utilizing
the same synchronous reference frame control technique used
with the two-stage architecture, in which the dc-link voltage
is controlled through the output current controller, while the
input current or the input voltage are regulated through the
duty cycle of the BC. Hence, this section starts first by showing
the adopted modification on the SSI modulation scheme, which
is proposed so as to introduce two control parameters, through
which, the SSI ac and dc sides can be independently controlled
under certain limitations like all the single-stage topologies.
A. Regulated MSV Modulation Scheme
The MSV modulation scheme shown in Fig. 2(a) has a
single control parameter, the modulation index (M ), which
(15) value of max(va∗ , vb∗ , vc∗ ) is fixed to one. Using such modula-
tion scheme, it is not possible to independently control the ac
and the dc sides of the SSI as in the two-stage architecture.
Hence, to give an additional degree of freedom concerning the
OF THE
dc side of the SSI, the regulated MSV (RMSV) modulation
scheme, shown in Fig. 2(b), is introduced in this paper.
It has been noticed from the different modulation schemes
discussed in [1] that the dc side of the SSI is mainly controlled
by the common mode term of the modulating signals, which is
quite obvious by comparing the third-harmonic and the biased
third-harmonic modulation schemes in [1]. Thus, making such
term as a variable one, i.e. the peak value of the modulating
signals is no longer fixed to one, is the key point behind the
RMSV modulation scheme.
The RMSV modulation scheme, shown in Fig. 2(b), has
two control parameters, where the first one is the modulation
index Mac that controls the ac side, while the second one is
the regulation index Mdc that controls the dc side, being Mac
and Mdc are as defined in Fig. 2(b).

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Finally, the desired inductance and capacitance can be

vdg ωo vqg
vabcg
calculated using (3) and (4) respectively, where M should be
abc/dq vdg
vqg
P If
+
ωg replaced by Mdc in both equations.
vabcg +

R ωg
θg
θg B. SSI Decoupled Control Scheme
(a) The RMSV modulation scheme is combined with the com-
monly used synchronous reference frame control technique to
Id∗ +
−
P Id Gid id implement the decoupled closed-loop control scheme of the
grid-connected SSIs. This control scheme comprises an input
(b)
power control part and a grid side control part, where the
two control parameters introduced in the RMSV modulation
scheme are utilized as follows: the modulation index Mac is
∗ Gidcl Gvinv vinv
Vinv + P Iv used to control the grid side, while the regulation index Mdc
−

is used to regulate the dc side.

(c) The whole architecture of the grid-connected SSI decoupled
control scheme in the rotating dq reference frame is introduced
IL∗ + P Ii GiL iL
in Fig. 3 and detailed in the following subsections. The SSI is
−
connected to the grid via an interfacing inductance Lf , which
can be replaced by an LCL or an LLCL filters to reduce the
(d) harmonic contents of the grid current and improve its quality
Figure 4. Block diagrams of the different control loops. (a) phase- [23], [24].
locked loop (PLL), where ωo is the nominal angular frequency; (b) output
current control loop considering the d component, where the q one is
Fig. 3 shows the implementation procedure of the RMSV
equivalent to it; (c) dc-link voltage control loop; (d) input current control modulation, where the sinusoidal reference signals generated
loop. by the synchronous reference frame controller are converted
into space vector equivalent modulating signals, then the satu-
100
M agnitude (dB)

Output current control loop ration is applied, whose limits calculation are discussed in the
50 Input current control loop
next section. The obtained saturated space vector modulating
0
Dc-link voltage control loop signals are then converted to the equivalent modulating signals
−50
of the RMSV modulation, where the negative envelope of
−100 these modulating signals, defined by min(va∗ , vb∗ , vc∗ ), is fixed
−90
to zero, i.e. Mdc = 1. Then, the input current controller is
P hase (deg)

regulating this negative envelope, i.e. changing Mdc , according

−135
to the input current reference.
1) Phase-locked loop: According to Fig. 3, the grid volt-
−180
100 101 102 103 104 ages vabcg are passed through a phase-locked loop (PLL)
F requency (Hz) block, where Fig. 4(a) shows the utilized implementation in
Figure 5. Bode plots of the output current, the input current, and the dc-
this paper [25], [26]. This block comprises park transformation
link voltage control loops in the introduced decoupled control scheme, block (i.e. abc/dq transformation), PI controller, and integra-
considering the designed 1 kV A grid-connected SSI system. tor, while its outputs are the grid voltages in the rotating dq
reference frame (vdqg ), the grid angular frequency (ωg ), and
the grid angle (θg ). According to Fig. 4(a), the PLL transfer
It is worth noting that Mdc ≥ Mac , which is important so
function GP LL (s) can be written as follows
as not to affect the grid side. If Mdc < Mac , the modulating
signals will be saturated from the positive peaks, while the Kpf · s + Kif
GP LL (s) = , (18)
negative ones will not be affected, leading to a distortion in s2 + Kpf · s + Kif
the SSI ac side. Hence, it is mandatory to keep this condition
and if a certain saturation action would exist, it should be where Kpf and Kif are the P If controller proportional and
applied on both peaks as discussed in the next section. integral gains respectively.
Using the RMSV modulation scheme, L is charged with a 2) Output current controllers: The calculated grid angle
duty cycle (D) equals Mdc , while the average dc-link voltage (θg ) and the measured grid currents (iabc ) are passed through
(Vinv ) as a function of the input dc voltage (Vin ) and the another park transformation block to calculate the grid currents
output fundamental peak phase voltage (Vφ1 ) as a function of in the rotating dq reference frame (idq ). In the rotating dq
Vinv are given by reference frame, the grid-connected inverter shown in Fig. 3,
assuming two stiff voltage sources, can be modeled as follows
1
Vinv = · Vin , (16) did
1 − Mdc vdi = vdg + Lf · + rf · id − ωg · Lf · iq ,
dt (19)
Mac diq
Vφ1 = √ · Vinv . (17) vqi = vqg + Lf · + rf · iq + ωg · Lf · id ,
3 dt

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300 8 485 20
vabcg (V ) 150 4 445 15

vinv (V )
iabc (A)

iL (A)
0 0 425 10
−150 −4 405 5
−300 −8 385 0
0 T1 T1 0 T1 T1 0 T1 T1 0 T1 T1
2 2 2 2
t t t t

Figure 6. Grid-connected SSI simulation results at steady-state for one fundamental cycle. The grid line-to-line voltages vabcg , the inverter output
currents iabc , the dc-link voltage vinv , and the input current iL are shown from left to right.

Step variation in Grid voltage swell Grid voltage sag

the input current reference of 15% of the nominal value of 15% of the nominal value
z }| { z }| { z }| {
300
vabcg (V )

150
0
−150
−300
8
4
iabc (A)

0
−4
−8
485
445
vinv (V )

425
405
385
20
15
iL (A)

10
5
0
0 2.5T1 5T1 7.5T1 10T1 0 2.5T1 5T1 7.5T1 10T1 0 2.5T1 5T1 7.5T1 10T1
t t t

Figure 7. Simulation results of the introduced control scheme, considering different transients, where a step variation in the input current reference,
a grid voltage swell of 15%, and a grid voltage sag of 15% are shown from left to right. In each scenario, the grid line-to-line voltages vabcg , the
inverter output currents iabc , the dc-link voltage vinv , and the input current iL are shown from top to bottom.

where vdqi is the inverter output voltage in the rotating dq voltage controller is controlling the d component of the
reference frame, rf is the internal resistance of the interfacing inverter current as shown in Fig. 3.
inductor, and ωg is the grid angular frequency, which equals According to the instantaneous input-output power balance
2πfg , knowing that fg is the grid frequency in Hz. Hence, for the grid converter in the rotating dq reference frame,
the planet transfer function is given by assuming a lossless operation, the following equation can be
obtained:
id (s) 1
Gid (s) = = , 3 dvinv
vdi (s) rf + s · Lf {vdg · id + vqg · iq } = −vinv · C · + vin · iL . (21)
(20) 2 dt
id (s) 1
Giq (s) = = , This time varying system can be linearized using the pertur-
vdi (s) rf + s · Lf
bation technique. The dc-link voltage vinv is proposed to be
where this model is similar to the one driven at [25], [27], controlled through id , then all the perturbations are considered
[28]. Finally, the block diagram of the output current control null except ṽinv (t) and ĩd (t). Hence, the small signal dc-
loop is shown in Fig. 4(b). link voltage to the d component of the output current transfer
3) Dc-link voltage controller: The control of the dc-link function Gvinv (s) is given by
voltage passes through the control of the power exchanged vinv (s) 3 · Vdg
between the inverter and the grid [25]. Hence, the dc-link Gvinv (s) = = , (22)
id (s) 2 · s · C · Vinv

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300 8 435 20
vabcg (V ) 150 4 430 15

vinv (V )
iabc (A)

iL (A)
0 0 425 10
−150 −4 420 5
−300 −8 415 0
0 T1 T1 0 T1 T1 0 T1 T1 0 T1 T1
2 2 2 2
t t t t

Figure 8. Simulation results for one fundamental cycle, considering a grid voltage swell of 23% to show the saturation effect. The grid line-to-line
voltages vabcg , the inverter output currents iabc , the dc-link voltage vinv , and the input current iL are shown from left to right.

TABLE I
PARAMETERS OF THE 1 kVA G RID -C ONNECTED SSI S YSTEM DC source
SSI
Macmax 0.7647 p.u. ∗
Vinv 425 V C 120 µF
fs 12 kHz fg 50 Hz L 1.7 mH
Lf 4.3 mH rf 1.3 Ω rL 0.15 Ω

Interfacing inductance
where Vdg = Vφ1 . Control board
Finally, the block diagram of the dc-link voltage control Auto-transformer
loop is shown in Fig. 4(c), where Gidcl is the closed-loop
transfer function of id shown in Fig. 4(b), which is given by Figure 9. Grid-connected SSI experimental prototype.

P Id · Gid
Gidcl (s) = . (23)
1 + P Id · Gid V. D ESIGN P ROCEDURE AND S IMULATION R ESULTS
∗ For the sake of experimental validation, a 1 kVA grid-
Notice that the sign of the subtraction between Vinv and
connected SSI system is designed using the aforementioned
vinv in Fig. 3 is different from the conventional one. This is
equations and the parameters of this system are as given in
coming out due to the different notation used in this paper for
Table. I. The SSI is designed using the design steps followed
the sign of the ac current, which is positive if injected into the
in [1], where ∆IL = 0.37 and ∆Vinv = 0.0038. Moreover,
power grid. According to this notation, also the sign of the
∗ the SSI is assumed to be fed from a constant dc source of
subtraction between Vinv and vinv should be changed.
100 V , considering a grid RMS phase voltage of 110 V .
4) Input current controller: Assuming a constant dc-link ∗
The dc-link voltage reference (Vinv ) is selected by combin-
voltage in (13) for the sake of simplicity, the small signal
ing (16) and (17), considering the maximum operating grid
input current to the regulation index transfer function GiL (s)
peak phase voltage Vφ1max , in which Mac = Mdc . Hence,
is simplified by ∗
Vinv is given by
iL (s) Vinv ∗
√
GiL (s) = = , (24) Vinv ≥ (Vin + 3Vφ1max ), (25)
d(s) rL + sL
where Vφ1max is assumed to be ≥ 1.15Vφ1 , i.e. allowing ≥
where d(s) = mdc (s) and mdc is the time varying variable ∗
15% increase in the grid voltage. Hence, Vinv is set to be 425
of the regulation index Mdc . Then, the block diagram of the V in this design example, i.e. Vφ1max ≈ 1.2Vφ1 . Then, Vinv ∗
is
input current control loop is shown in Fig. 4(d). used to calculate the saturation limits Macmax shown in Fig. 3,
It is worth noting that the input current reference IL∗ shall which is given by
be obtained using a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) ∗
Vinv − Vin
block, which might use any MPPT technique from the ones Macmax = ∗ . (26)
discussed in [29], or injected directly without the MPPT block, Vinv
which is the case in this paper. Moreover, the effect of the This equation is developed as following: Macmax is cal-
input current triangular nature on Mdc is effectively mitigated culated using (17), considering the maximum operating grid
inside the digital implementation of the control scheme, and peak phase voltage (Vφ1max ), which corresponds to the
∗
a capacitor is usually connected in parallel to the dc source, selected
√ dc-link voltage reference (Vinv ), i.e. Macmax =
∗
which acts as a low-pass filter for such high frequency com- ( 3Vφ1max )/(Vinv ), where Vφ1max can be simply extracted
ponent. Furthermore, for any photovoltaic (PV) system, it is from (25).
possible to regulate the PV source voltage instead of regulating The control scheme has been designed and the different PI
its current, and the small signal input voltage to the regulation controllers are designed considering a bandwidth of 500 Hz
index transfer function can be derived similarly by obtaining for the output current and input current control loops (i.e. for
state-space representation of the SSI dc side, considering vdc P Id , P Iq , and P Ii ), and 50 Hz for the dc-link voltage control
as a state variable and applying the perturbation technique as loop (i.e. for P Iv ), where the Bode plots of these different
before. control loops are shown in Fig. 5. It is worth noting that the

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This article has been accepted for publication in a future issue of this journal, but has not been fully edited. Content may change prior to final publication. Citation information: DOI 10.1109/TIE.2017.2677343, IEEE
Transactions on Industrial Electronics
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vinv (80 V /DIV ) vinv (80 V /DIV )

vag (40 V /DIV ) ia (2 A/DIV ) vag (40 V /DIV )

ia (2 A/DIV )

5 ms/DIV

iL (4 A/DIV ) 5 ms/DIV
iL (4 A/DIV )

(a) (b)

vinv (80 V /DIV ) vinv (80 V /DIV )

ia (2 A/DIV ) vag (40 V /DIV ) ia (2 A/DIV ) vag (40 V /DIV )

5 ms/DIV 5 ms/DIV
iL (4 A/DIV ) iL (4 A/DIV )

(c) (d)
Figure 10. Experimental results at steady-state considering different cases, where the grid phase voltage vag , the inverter output current ia , the
dc-link voltage vinv , and the input current iL are shown in each case. (a) zero input current reference and nominal grid voltage; (b) rated input
current reference and nominal grid voltage; (c) rated input current reference and 15% grid voltage swell; (d) rated input current reference and 15%
grid voltage sag.

vinv (80 V /DIV ) vinv (80 V /DIV )

vag (40 V /DIV ) ia (2 A/DIV ) ia (2 A/DIV ) vag (40 V /DIV )

50 ms/DIV 5 ms/DIV
iL (4 A/DIV ) iL (4 A/DIV )

(a) (b)
Figure 11. Experimental results considering two different scenarios, where the grid phase voltage vag , the inverter output current ia , the dc-link
voltage vinv , and the input current iL are shown in each case. (a) step variation in the input current reference from zero to the rated value then to
zero for ten fundamental cycles; (b) 23% grid voltage swell to show the saturation effect.

bandwidth of the dc-link voltage control loop is much higher
than the practical value, which has been chosen to figure out
the limit of the proposed control scheme. The parameters of
the different PI controllers are as follows: the proportional and
integral gains equal 13.3 and 8080 respectively for the output
current controllers, 0.0648 and 5.93 respectively for the dc-
link voltage controller, and 0.0129 and 3.98 respectively for
the input current controller.
Using the designed parameters in Table I, a MAT-
LAB/Simulink model has been implemented to test the pro-
posed control scheme. The steady-state simulation results of
this model are shown in Fig. 6 during the normal system
conditions (i.e. rated input current and nominal grid voltage),
where the grid line-to-line voltages vabcg , the inverter output
currents iabc , the dc-link voltage vinv , and the input current
iL are shown for one fundamental cycle. The measured
total harmonic distortion (THD) of the output current up to
the 40th harmonic equals 2.4% and the simulated one was
negligible, where the experimental one is higher due to the
small distortion of the grid voltage. This MATLAB/Simulink
model is used again to test the proposed control scheme con-
sidering different transients as shown in Fig. 7. The considered
transients are as follows: a step variation in the input current
reference, a grid voltage swell of 15% for five fundamental

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This article has been accepted for publication in a future issue of this journal, but has not been fully edited. Content may change prior to final publication. Citation information: DOI 10.1109/TIE.2017.2677343, IEEE
Transactions on Industrial Electronics
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cycles, and a grid voltage sag of 15% for five fundamental
cycles as well. Finally, Fig. 8 shows the same simulation
results introduced in Fig. 6 but considering a grid voltage swell
of 23%, which is higher than the designed maximum limit. It
is worth noting that this higher voltage swell is considered
to test the symmetrical saturation introduced in Fig. 3, where
higher low frequency component in the output current exists
and the dc-link voltage Vinv is limited to its nominal value. If
this swell is much higher, a higher low frequency component
would exist in the dc-link voltage.
According to these shown simulation results, the regulation
index and the modulation index are independently controlled.
Hence, a complete decoupled control of the two parameters is
achieved and the possibility of controlling the SSI using the
two-stage control scheme has been proved under the proposed
control scheme.
VI. E XPERIMENTAL VALIDATION
In order to validate the proposed control scheme and verify
the shown simulation results, an experimental prototype of
the SSI has been implemented, using the same parameters
employed in the simulation model. This prototype is controlled
by a control board based on a TMS320F28335 DSP, where this
board comprises four HO 8-NP-0000 LEM current sensors and
four LV 25-P LEM voltage sensors. Moreover, this board has
an over current and over voltage hardware protection to protect
the inverter if the current and/or the voltage exceed the limits.
The prototype is shown in Fig. 9, in which six
FGW50N60HD IGBTs and three VS-30EPH06PbF diodes are
used. Fig. 10 shows the steady state results of this proto-
type considering different cases. The first case is shown in
Fig. 10(a), in which the grid phase voltage vag , the inverter
output current ia , the dc-link voltage vinv , and the input
current iL are shown, considering zero current for the input
current reference and the nominal grid voltage, while the
second case is introduced in Fig. 10(b), which shows the same
results, considering an input current reference of the rated
value and nominal grid voltage. On the other side, Fig. 10(c)
considers a grid voltage swell of 15%, while Fig. 10(d)
considers a grid voltage sag of 15%, where the input current
reference is maintained at the rated value.
Fig. 11(a) shows a step variation in the input current
reference from zero to the rated value then to zero, where this
case is considered the most severe transient case introduced
in the simulation results before. Meanwhile, Fig. 11(b) shows
the grid voltage swell case of 23% introduced in Fig. 8 that
is utilized to shed the light upon the introduced symmetrical
saturation discussed before. The introduced experimental re-
sults, which match the simulation ones, confirm and verify the
reported analysis and validate the functionality of the proposed
control scheme.
VII. C ONCLUSION
In this paper, the closed-loop control of the split-source
inverter (SSI) in grid-connected operating mode has been
addressed, where a decoupled control scheme has been intro-
duced to independently control the SSI dc and ac sides, which
0278-0046 (c) 2016 IEEE. Personal use is permitted, but republication/redistribution requires IEEE permission. See http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/rights/index.html for more information.
is convenient for many applications. This control scheme is
based on a combination of the proposed regulated modified
space vector (RMSV) modulation scheme and the commonly
used synchronous reference frame control technique. The SSI
dc side has been modeled first and then the introduced control
scheme is discussed.
This paper tested the introduced control scheme using
MATLAB/Simulink model, considering different transients,
and then verified the simulation results using a reduced scale
1 kV A experimental prototype. As shown in the simulation
and the experimental results, the system is properly controlled
and a fully decoupled control of both the input dc current and
the output ac current has been achieved.
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Transactions on Industrial Electronics
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS

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for three-phase quasi-z-source cascaded multilevel inverter based grid- F’14) received the MS degree (with honors) and
tie photovoltaic power system,” IEEE Trans. on Ind. Electron., vol. 61, the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from
no. 12, pp. 6794–6802, Dec 2014. the University of Padova (Italy) in 1992 and in
[18] B. Ge, H. Abu-Rub, F. Z. Peng, Q. Lei, A. T. de Almeida, F. J. T. E. 1995, respectively. From 1995 to 2001, he was
Ferreira, D. Sun, and Y. Liu, “An energy-stored quasi-z-source inverter a researcher at the University of Padova. From
for application to photovoltaic power system,” IEEE Trans. on Ind. 2001 to 2005 he was an associate professor
Electron., vol. 60, no. 10, pp. 4468–4481, Oct 2013. the University of Udine, where he led the Power
[19] D. Sun, B. Ge, W. Liang, H. Abu-Rub, and F. Z. Peng, “An energy stored Electronics Laboratory. In 2005 he joined the
quasi-z-source cascade multilevel inverter-based photovoltaic power University of Padova in Vicenza with the same
generation system,” IEEE Trans. on Ind. Electron., vol. 62, no. 9, pp. duties. From 2010 to 2012 he was professor and
5458–5467, Sept 2015. member of the Center for Power Electronics Systems (CPES) at Virginia
[20] Y. Liu, B. Ge, H. Abu-Rub, and F. Z. Peng, “Control system design of Tech. He is currently a professor with the University of Padova.
battery-assisted quasi-z-source inverter for grid-tie photovoltaic power His major field of interest includes analysis, modeling and analog
generation,” IEEE Trans. on Sustainable Energy, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 994– and digital control of power converters, grid-connected converters for
1001, Oct 2013. renewable energy systems and micro-grids, high-temperature and high-
[21] C. J. Gajanayake, D. M. Vilathgamuwa, P. C. Loh, R. Teodorescu, power density power electronics. In these research fields, he has been
and F. Blaabjerg, “Z-source-inverter-based flexible distributed generation leading several industrial and government projects. His current google
system solution for grid power quality improvement,” IEEE Trans. on scholar h-index is 57.
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constant boost approach for controlling quasi-z-source-based interlinking IPCC (Industrial Power Converter Committee) Technical Review Chair
converters in hybrid ac-dc microgrids,” IET Generation, Transmission for the IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications. For terms 2003-
Distribution, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 938–948, 2016. 2006, 2006-2009 and 2013-2015 he has been a member-at-large of the
[23] Y. Jia, J. Zhao, and X. Fu, “Direct grid current control of lcl-filtered grid- IEEE Power Electronics Society?s Administrative Committee. He also
connected inverter mitigating grid voltage disturbance,” IEEE Trans. on received in 2005, 2006, 2011 and 2012 the Prize Paper Award in the
Power Electron., vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 1532–1541, March 2014. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics and in 2007, the 2nd Prize
[24] M. Huang, X. Wang, P. C. Loh, and F. Blaabjerg, “Llcl-filtered grid Paper Award at the IEEE Industry Application Annual Meeting. He is
converter with improved stability and robustness,” IEEE Trans. on Power an IEEE Fellow.
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phase-locked loop low-frequency stability in three-phase grid-connected Valeria Boscaino was born in Palermo, Italy, on
power converters considering impedance interactions,” IEEE Trans. on December 19th, 1980. She received the master
Ind. Electron., vol. 62, no. 1, pp. 310–321, Jan 2015. degree in Electronics Engineering (summa cum
[27] V. Blasko and V. Kaura, “A new mathematical model and control of laude) and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engi-
a three-phase ac-dc voltage source converter,” IEEE Trans. on Power neering from the University of Palermo, in 2005
Electron., vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 116–123, Jan 1997. and 2009, respectively. She is currently a post-
[28] Y. Zhang and C. Qu, “Model predictive direct power control of pwm doctoral researcher with the Power Applications
rectifiers under unbalanced network conditions,” IEEE Trans. on Ind. Laboratory at the Department of Energy, Infor-
Electron., vol. 62, no. 7, pp. 4011–4022, July 2015. mation engineering and Mathematical models,
[29] B. Subudhi and R. Pradhan, “A comparative study on maximum power University of Palermo. Her research interests
point tracking techniques for photovoltaic power systems,” IEEE Trans. include modeling, analysis, design and control
on Sustainable Energy, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 89–98, Jan 2013. of power converters, power conversion systems for renewable energy
sources, electrical machines and drives.

Giuseppe Lullo (M’00) received the MS degree

Ahmed Abdelhakim (S’15) was born in Egypt
(with honors) and the Ph.D. degree in Electronic
on April 1, 1990. He received the B.Sc. and
Engineering from the University of Palermo, Italy
the M.Sc. degrees (with honors) in electrical
in 1990 and 1995, respectively. He was a Visiting
engineering from Alexandria University (Egypt)
Research Fellow (1993-94) at the Optoelectron-
in 2011 and 2013 respectively. In Oct. 2015,
ics Lab of Glasgow University, UK. and a Vis-
he started working towards the Ph.D. degree
iting Scientist (1998) at the Dept. of Electronics
under the supervision of prof. Paolo Mattavelli
and Computer Science of MIT, Cambridge, USA.
at the University of Padova (Italy). Currently,
From 1999 to 2005, he was a Researcher at the
2017, he is a visiting scholar at Aalborg Uni-
University of Palermo, Italy. Since 2005, he is an
versity (Denmark), where he is working on sev-
Associate Professor of Electronics in the same
eral research activities under the supervision
University. During these years he has taught several courses on Elec-
of prof. Frede Blaabjerg. His major field of interest includes analysis,
tronic Devices, Electronics Basics, Electronics for Telecommunications,
modeling, control, and investigation of new power converter topologies
Analogue Electronics, and Applied Electronics.
for renewable energy systems.
He is currently the principal investigator of the Power Applications
He was a demonstrator in Alexandria University then a lecturer
Laboratory within the University of Palermo. His research activities
assistant from 2011 until 2014, where he helped in teaching several
have covered several areas, regarding the design and fabrication of
power electronics courses for the undergraduate students. In 2012, he
optoelectronic and electronic devices, the design of custom optical
was involved in Spiretronics company’s R&D team in Egypt for nine
systems, the design of mixed-signals electronic systems and electronics
months, then he was a visiting scholar in Texas A&M university (Qatar)
for controlling X-ray satellite telescopes. Recently, he has been involved
for two months. In Jan. 2015, he joined the University of Padova as a
in research in the field of Power Electronics. He holds a patent on an
research fellow.
optical diffractometer. He also founded and co-managed for twenty years
Ahmed is also serving as a reviewer in IEEE Transaction on Industrial
Microtech s.r.l., a high-tech spin-off company devoted to realization of
Electronics, IET Power Electronics, IET Electronics Letters, International
laser direct writing equipements for microlithographic processes.
Journal of Power Electronics, and several IEEE conferences.
He is a Member of IEEE and of INAF (Italian National Institute for
Astrophysics).

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