This paper proposes a simple fundamental active current extraction scheme for a 1-phase 7-level cascaded multilevel inverter. The proposed algorithm extracts the fundamental active component of the load current, irrespective of the change in supply frequency. Moreover, a band pass filter (BPF) based phase locked loop (PLL) is proposed for the generation of the unit vector template (UVT). This ensures the effective operation of the SAF, even under a non-sinusoidal supply voltage. The proposed algorithm provides an instantaneous value of the fundamental active component of the load current, which when drawn from the supply ensures that the source current is sinusoidal and that the unity power factor (UPF) is maintained at the supply end. The usage of two cascaded H-bridges powered by two dc sources of different magnitude are put into use for the realization of a 1-phase 7-level cascaded inverter. The functioning of the 1-phase SAF with a fundamental current extractor scheme is examined for steady-state and dynamic operation under non-distorted and distorted supply voltages. © The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers 2019.