Lower order grid current harmonics for a voltage-source inverter connected to a distorted grid

• Lower-order grid current harmonics are evaluated for a VSI.
• Two different methods for grid phase tracking are compared; the PLL and the ZCD.
• Theoretical and experimental results are compared.

As a result of lower order grid voltage harmonics, the grid current injected by a voltage-source inverter will also be partially distorted. In large-scale applications, active harmonic filters or notch filters are used to reduce the grid current distortion. For small-scale units, this may not be economically viable. In this article, two different grid phase tracking methods are evaluated with respect to the grid current distortion. The first method uses the zero-crossing detection (ZCD) method together with a look-up table (LUT), to generate a perfectly sinusoidal voltage synchronized with the grid. The second method uses a single-phase phase-locked loop (PLL). This method will reflect the grid harmonics in the inverter output, resulting in either cancellation or superposition of the harmonics of the grid current. A theoretical expression for the grid current as a function of the grid voltage harmonics is derived. Individual grid current harmonics as well as the total harmonic distortion (THD) are experimentally evaluated for both ZCD and PLL, and compared with theory. Results are presented for different power flows into the grid and compared with grid codes.