String inverter

Products and reference designs

String inverter

Block diagram

Overview

Our integrated circuits and reference designs help you accelerate development of solar string inverters, improving power density and efficiency while providing real-time communication and monitoring.

Design requirements

    String inverter designs require innovative technology to achieve:

  • Long-system lifespan.
  • Low-output distortion.
  • Accurate analog measurement of voltage and current.
  • High efficiency and power density.

Extend the capabilities of this application

Block diagram

Find products and reference designs for your system.

Three Phase String Inverter

Grid connection Grid connection PV string input PV string input IO voltages IO voltages Internal rail Internal rail Isolated power (for Gate drivers) Isolated power(for Gate drivers) OR OR PV input for system power PV input for system power Grid input for system power Grid input for system power Input current & voltage sense Input current & voltage sense AMP AMP AMP AMP Current sensor Current sensor Current Current Voltage Voltage DC/DC power stage DC/DC power stage Temp sensor Temp sensor Gate drivers Gate drivers Boost converter Boost converter PWM PWM DC/AC power stage DC/AC power stage H-Bridge-, T-Type-, ANPC-, Flying cap-inverter H-Bridge-, T-Type-, ANPC-, Flying cap-inverter N N Gate driver Gate driver Gate driver Gate driver Gate driver Gate driver Temp sensor Tempsensor L1 L1 L2 L2 L3 L3 Output current & voltage sense Output current & voltage sense Current Current Voltage Voltage AMP AMP AMP AMP L1 L1 L2 L2 L3 L3 N N Current sensors Current sensors Relay control power stage Relay control power stage Relay driver Relay driver Relays Relays DC/DC logic DC/DC logic Gates & buffers Gates & buffers DC/AC logic DC/AC logic Gates & buffers Gates & buffers Self-diagnostics/monitoring Self-diagnostics/monitoring Arc fault detection Arc fault detection Insulation monitoring Insulation monitoring Analog front end Analog front end ADC ADC Reference Reference Optional Integrated in MCU OptionalIntegrated in MCU Digital processing Digital processing MCU MCU SVS SVS RTC RTC Signal isolation Signal isolation Data isolation Data isolation Optional Optional Wired interface Wired interface Ethernet Ethernet PLC PLC USB USB RS-485 RS-485 RS-232 RS-232 Wireless interface Wireless interface Wi-Fi Wi-Fi ZigBee ZigBee Sub-1 GHz Sub-1 GHz Bluetooth Bluetooth Output user interface Output user interface LED driver LED driver Low side isolated DC/DC power supply Low side isolated DC/DC power supply Isolated DC/DC Isolated DC/DC High side isolated DC/DC power supply High side isolated DC/DC power supply Isolated DC/DC Isolated DC/DC Isolated AC/DC power supply Isolated AC/DC power supply Isolated AC/DC Isolated AC/DC Non-isolated DC/DC power supply Non-isolated DC/DC power supply DC/DC DC/DC LDO LDO Bus current & voltage sense Bus current & voltage sense AMP AMP AMP AMP Current sensor Current sensor Current Current Voltage Voltage

Digital processing

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Both main power stages in a solar inverter are controlled by a DSP. Using a DSP based solution, power can be more efficiently captured from the solar array and output harmonics can be much lower. Dedicated DSPs for the application will have sufficient MIPS or accelerators, as well as performance for a communication layer.

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Microcontrollers (MCUs) & processors (8)
C2000 real-time microcontrollers
  • TMS320F28P550SGC2000™ 32-bit MCU with 150MHz 512KB flash C28x + CLA, five ADCs, CLB, AES and NPU
    Data sheet: PDF | HTML
  • TMS320F28P550SJC2000™ 32-bit MCU with 150MHz 1.1MB flash C28x + CLA, five ADCs, CLB, AES and NPU
    Data sheet: PDF | HTML
  • TMS320F28P650SHC2000 32-bit MCU, 400 MIPS, 1xC28x + 1xCLA CPU, FPU64, 768kB flash, 16-b ADC
    Data sheet: PDF | HTML
  • TMS320F2800132C2000™ 32-bit MCU with 100 MHz, 64-KB flash, FPU, TMU, six PWM and zero CAN
    Data sheet: PDF | HTML
  • TMS320F28P650DKC2000™ 32-bit MCU, 2x C28x+CLA CPU, Lock Step, 1.28-MB flash, 16-b ADC, HRPWM, EtherCAT, CAN-FD, AES
    Data sheet: PDF | HTML
  • TMS320F28P559SJ-Q1Automotive C2000™ 32-bit MCU with 150MHz 1.1MB flash C28x + CLA, five ADCs, CLB, AES and NPU
    Data sheet: PDF | HTML
Arm Cortex-R MCUs
  • AM2634-Q1Automotive quad-core Arm® Cortex®-R5F MCU up to 400 MHz with real-time control and security
    Data sheet: PDF | HTML
Arm Cortex-M4 MCUs
  • TM4C129ENCPDT32-bit Arm Cortex-M4F based MCU with 120-MHz, 1-MB Flash, 256-kb RAM, USB, ENET MAC+PHY, AES
    Data sheet: PDF | HTML
Power management (6)
Supervisor & reset ICs
  • TPS35-Q1Automotive nano-quiescent-current precision supervisor with timeout watchdog timer
    Data sheet: PDF | HTML
  • TLV809ELow-power voltage supervisor (reset IC) with active-low push-pull output
    Data sheet: PDF | HTML
  • TPS3702High-accuracy window voltage detector for overvoltage and undervoltage monitoring
    Data sheet: PDF | HTML
  • TPS386596Quad voltage supervisor with manual reset Input
    Data sheet: PDF | HTML
  • TPS3110Ultra-low supply current, voltage supervisor with watchdog timer
    Data sheet: PDF | HTML
  • TLV803ELow-power voltage supervisor (reset IC) with active-low open-drain output
    Data sheet: PDF | HTML
Logic & voltage translation (6)
Voltage translators
  • SN74LXC8T2458-bit dual-supply bus transceiver with configurable voltage-level shifting and tri-state outputs
    Data sheet: PDF | HTML
  • SN74LVC8T245-EPEnhanced Product 8-Bit Dual-Supply Bus Transc. w/ Configurable Voltage Transl., and 3-State Outputs
    Data sheet: PDF | HTML
  • SN74AVCA16424516-Bit Dual-Supply Bus Transceive W/Configurable Voltage Translation and 3-State
    Data sheet: PDF | HTML
  • SN74LVC16T24516-bit dual-supply bus transceiver with configurable level-shifting / voltage translation
    Data sheet: PDF | HTML
  • SN74LVC8T2458-Bit Dual-Supply Bus Transceiver with Configurable Voltage-Level Shifting and Three-State Outputs
    Data sheet: PDF | HTML
  • SN74ALVC16424516-Bit 2.5-V to 3.3-V/3.3-V To 5-V Level Shifting Transceiver With 3-State Outputs
    Data sheet: PDF | HTML
  • TIDA-01021011-kW, bidirectional, three-phase ANPC based on GaN reference design
    Design guide: PDF | HTML Schematic: PDF
  • TIDA-01093810kW, GaN-based single-phase string inverter with battery energy storage system reference design
    Design guide: PDF | HTML Schematic: PDF
  • TIDA-0160611-kW, bidirectional three-phase three-level (T-type) inverter and PFC reference design
    Design guide: PDF | HTML Schematic: PDF
Software development
Software development kit (SDK)
Hardware development
Development kit
  • LAUNCHXL-F280039C TMS320F280039C LaunchPad™ development kit for C2000™ real-time MCU
  • LAUNCHXL-F280025C F280025C LaunchPad™ development kit for C2000™ real-time MCU
Evaluation board

Technical documentation

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Type Title Date
Application note Introduction to Photovoltaic Systems Maximum Power Point Tracking 29 Nov 2010
White paper Impact of an isolated gate driver (Rev. A) 28 Feb 2019
Application note Digitally Controlled HV Solar MPPT DC-DC Converter Using C2000 Piccolo MCU 23 Feb 2015
White paper Smart power opens door to more efficient electrical use 21 Mar 2016
White paper Four key design considerations when adding energy storage to solar power grids 19 Apr 2021
Application note Designing a Simple and Low-Cost Flybuck Solution With the TPS54308 (Rev. A) 18 Oct 2019
White paper Demystifying high-voltage power electronics for solar inverters 18 Jun 2018
White paper 為太陽能電網增添儲能功能的四項 重要設計考量 13 May 2021
Application note Comparative Analysis of Two Different Methods for Gate-Drive Current Boosting (Rev. A) PDF | HTML 11 May 2022
Application note Interfacing the C2000 with an AFE03x: B-FSK Example (Rev. D) PDF | HTML 11 May 2022
Application note Using a Single-Output Gate-Driver for High-Side or Low-Side Drive (Rev. B) PDF | HTML 08 Sep 2023
Application note Power Topology Considerations for Solar String Inverters and Energy Storage Systems (Rev. A) PDF | HTML 05 Dec 2024
More literature Smart Relays for Solar Inverters 03 May 2012
More literature Powering IGBT Drivers with Fly-Buck™ 03 Dec 2015
Technical article Stay ahead of the energy storage and solar game with bidirectional PFC and hybrid PDF | HTML 02 Aug 2023
Application brief Understanding Peak IOH and IOL Currents (Rev. A) 01 Apr 2020

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