This paper presents a high-performance Z-source inverter is proposed in this paper, which can overcome limitations of traditional Z-source inverter. The proposed Z-source inverter can operate at wide range load (even no-load) with small inductor, eliminate the possibility of the dc-link voltage drops, and simplify the inductor and controller design. The operation modes, voltage relationship of the proposed Z-source inverter, and control strategy for switch SW7 has been described in detail. Finally, experimental results verified the validity of the proposed high-performance Z-source inverter.