The use of distributed energy resources (DER) is increasingly being pursued as a supplement and an alternative to large conventional central power stations. The specification of a power electronics interface is subject to requirements related not only to the renewable energy source itself but also to its effects on power system operation, especially where the intermittent energy source constitutes a significant part of the total system capacity. In this paper, new trends in power electronics for the integration of wind and photovoltaic power generators are presented. A review of appropriate storage systems technology used for the integration of intermittent renewable energy sources is also introduced. Discussions about common and future trends in renewable energy systems based on reliability and maturity of each technology are presented.

Multilevel converters have been under research and development for more than three decades and have found successful industrial application. However, this is still a technology under development, and many new contributions and new commercial topologies have been reported in the last few years. The aim of this paper is to group and review these recent contributions, in order to establish the current state of the art and trends of the technology, to provide readers with a comprehensive and insightful review of where multilevel converter technology stands and is heading. This paper first presents a brief overview of well-established multilevel converters strongly oriented to their current state in industrial applications to then center the discussion on the new converters that have made their way into the industry. In addition, new promising topologies are discussed. Recent advances made in modulation and control of multilevel converters are also addressed. A great part of this paper is devoted to show nontraditional applications powered by multilevel converters and how multilevel converters are becoming an enabling technology in many industrial sectors. Finally, some future trends and challenges in the further development of this technology are discussed to motivate future contributions that address open problems and explore new possibilities.

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Multilevel converters are considered today as the state of the art power conversion systems for high power and power quality demanding applications. This paper presents a tutorial on this technology, covering the operating principles, the different power circuit topologies, modulation methods, technical issues and industry applications. Special attention is given to established technology already found in industry with more in depth and self-contained information, while recent advances and state of the art contributions are addressed with useful references. This paper serves as an introduction to the subject for the not familiarized reader, as well as an update or reference for academics and practicing engineers working in the field of industrial and power electronics.

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