This paper presents a design of a high performance proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) power conditioning system (PCS) for residential application. Firstly, a high efficiency PCS topology is described which can improve the PCS maximum efficiency up to 92.9%. Furthermore, a novel PCS controller is presented, which succeeds in suppressing the low frequency current ripple, controlling the dc link voltage and inverter output current. The controller also achieves reliable power grid integration. The experimental results show that a residential fuel cell PCS with high performance can be achieved. (c) 2009 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.