Performance enhancement of a multilevel inverter in renewable energy systems using equilibrium optimizer

Abstract

This paper introduces the Equilibrium Optimizer (EO) to enhance the performance of a single phase (1-ϕ) five-level (5L) T-type multilevel inverter (T-MLI) in renewable energy systems (RES). The primary objective is to optimize the switching angles to minimize the total harmonic distortion (THD), thereby improving the output voltage quality. EO is a physics-based optimization algorithm inspired by control volume mass balance models. The algorithm has robust exploration and exploitation mechanisms leading to high performance with fast convergence speed and effective balancing of exploitation and exploration. A 1-ϕ T-MLI has been presented in this paper, which uses fewer switches to generate a five-level output, and the EO algorithm has been used to improve the output voltage. This system is simulated in a MATLAB/Simulink environment, the results of which are further validated through hardware implementation using DSP-TMS320F28379D and confirm the effectiveness of EO for optimizing the THD. It is evident from the comparison with various inverter topologies and control methods that the presented system is easy and utilizes the least component count to generate a five-level output. The generated output voltage has a THD of 14.77 % and outperformed many conventional optimization algorithms like differential evolution (DE) and genetic algorithm (GA), as well as several recently introduced algorithms like Archimedes optimization algorithm (AOA) and crystal structure algorithm (CryStAl). The result highlights the potential of the proposed system in advancing inverter system performance, offering a cost-effective and efficient solution for RES integration.