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A highly efficient high step–up dc–dc converter is the major requirement in the integration of low voltage renewable energy sources, such as photovoltaic panel module and fuel cell stacks, with a load or utility. This paper presents the development of an efficient dc–dc single–ended primary–inductor converter (SEPIC) for high step–up applications. Three SEPIC converters are designed and studied using different combinations of power devices: a combination based on all Si power devices using a Si–MOSFET and a Si–diode and termed as Si/Si, a combination based on a hybrid of Si and SiC power devices using the Si–MOSFET and a SiC–Schottky diode and termed as Si/SiC, and a combination based on all SiC power devices using a SiC–MOSFET and the SiC–Schottky diode and termed as SiC/SiC. The switching behavior of the Si–MOSFET and SiC–MOSFET is characterized and analyzed within the different combinations at the converter level. The effect of the diode type on the converter’s overall performance is also discussed. The switching energy losses, total power losses, and the overall performance efficiency of the converters are measured and reported under different switching frequencies. Furthermore, the potential of the designed converters to operate efficiently at a wide range of input voltages and output powers is studied. The analysis and results show an outstanding performance efficiency of the designed SiC/SiC based converter under a wide range of operating conditions.
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