This study presents a novel three‐level neutral‐point‐clamped quasi‐Z‐source inverter in the single‐stage buck‐boost multilevel inverter family. The topology was derived by combining the properties of the quasi‐Z‐source network with those of a three‐level neutral point clamped inverter. It features such advantages as low voltage stress of the switches, single‐stage buck‐boost power conversion, continuous input current, short‐circuit withstandability and low total harmonic distortion of the output voltage and current. The authors present a steady state analysis of the topology along with a special modulation technique to distribute shoot‐through states during the whole fundamental period. Component design guidelines for a single‐phase case study system are described. All the findings have been confirmed by simulations and experiments. The topology could be recommended for applications requiring continuous input current, high input voltage gain and enhanced quality of the output voltage.

An expected lifetime of converters is of great importance for optimal decision-making in the planning of modern Power Electronic (PE) systems. Hence, the lifetime management of power electronic systems has attracted a lot of attention in academia and industry. This paper is a guideline for managing the lifetime of power converters. Analyzing the different kinds of failures, failure modes and their corresponding mechanisms are investigated in the first section along with the failure data needed as input parameters of the assessment. In the second section, lifetime prediction in two aspects of component-level and system level is discussed and all the possible techniques to achieve them are investigated and compared. All the steps required to predict the lifetime in the component-level including electrothermal modeling, cycle counting, lifetime model, damage accumulation, parameter estimation, and lifetime distribution are described and then system level methods consisting of reliability block diagrams, fault-tree analysis, and Markov chains are examined and compared. The last section contains the roadmap of the lifetime extension including the reliable design and condition monitoring.

This work analyzes interlinking converter control in hybrid AC/DC microgrids. The paper addresses the state-of-the-art general hybrid microgrid structure. The key power electronics topologies are used as bidirectional interface converters in the AC and DC parts. Different control structures of hybrid microgrids are categorized, followed by the classification of the main control functions, their control strategies, and the control techniques and a summary of their positive and negative aspects and applications. Control functions, strategies and techniques are classified in the interlinking-converter based. Finally, overall control objectives, time-scaled control structures, and their strategies are outlined. The prospects, main challenges, research gaps, and the trend of the hybrid microgrid structure and control are reviewed and summarized in the conclusions.