Connecting 400 Watt Wind Generator w/ Solar

[milezone]

Hi Guys,

is it possible for me to use the same charge controller (30 amp controller) to charge the batteries?
Our setup is 240 solar watts, 5 batteries. We want to add a 400 watt (I hear 200 - 250 watt is more the normal) to this. Will I need seperate charge controllers, and if so it is ok to add to the same battery bank? Thanks

Russ

[milezone]

Anyone?

[Sunking]

You just need to buy a charge controller with both PV and Wind generator inputs plus a diversion load output.

[milezone]

Thanks for the answer. I read somewhere where they said you could use a "portable heater" as a dump load? Am I looking at this correctly, or am I not reading the picture right here?

Russ

[Sunking]

A dump or diversion load is just a passive device to burn off heat to keep a load on the wind generator.

[Mike90250]

Generally, you wire your PV to a charge controller, and the windgen to the batteries. You also need a diversion controller to sense full batteries and dump the extra wind power to any load. But you need loads on your battery, a 120VAC heater wont work as a 12V load, unless you power it through an inverter.

[milezone]

So would I be able to wire in say 2 or 3 12 volt halogen lights? Would that be enough?

Russ

[Sunking]

Russ I am not a wind guy but most setups I hear about is a heater element in a hot water tank. Whatever the device is has to be able to fully dissipate the energy (heat) without fail. Wind Turbines will destroy themselves without a load and strong winds.

[milezone]

Hi Again,

Ok I seem to be having a problem with finding a suitable Charge Controller that will handle my setup. I have 240 Watt Solar, and 400 Watt Wind. I have 5 batteries (120amps each).
Need a charge controller that will handle both wind and solar, and have a Load Divertor. Talked to a few, but after asking them question, they seem totally clueless (why are they selling items they have no clue about???).

Any help in suggesting a Charge Controller to do what I need? Thanks

Russ

[Mike90250]

Hi Again,

Ok I seem to be having a problem with finding a suitable Charge Controller that will handle my setup. I have 240 Watt Solar, and 400 Watt Wind. I have 5 batteries (120amps each).
Need a charge controller that will handle both wind and solar, and have a Load Divertor. Talked to a few, but after asking them question, they seem totally clueless (why are they selling items they have no clue about???).

Any help in suggesting a Charge Controller to do what I need? Thanks

Russ

You need:
Solar Charge controller for 20A @ 12V
Wind Generator Charge controller - Diversion type 40amps
Dump Load, 600W @ 15V
and a pile of wire, fuses and stuff to tie it all together.

The big problem is that unless you have to tie your hat on every time you step outside, you do NOT have enough charging for your battery bank size.

You need to have 5-10% of battery capacity, as charging.
your 600A of batteries needs at least 30amps for recharge, and preferably, 60 amps of charge. What generally happens in situations like yours, the batteries die an early death in a year or less.

[milezone]

Thanks for the response. I thought I read somewhere that using 2 controllers would be not a good idea as the weaker one would eventually burn out? Folks told me to use 1 controller that handles both?
As for batteries, I take them down to about 70% and turn off after that, generally it only takes 2 hours to fully charge my batteries the next day, and that is just with the 240 watt solar panels. Or am I not looking at this right? Less batteries means less time on power usage. Right now I run my 45" flat screen, DVR, PS3 (sometimes), garage lights, and that is about it. Typical day for 2 hours or so when sun is down.

Russ

[Mike90250]

Frankly, I don't care who you chose to take advice from, I'm coming from a place of using solar. I can tell you that I've heard many horror stories of cheap flea bay controllers that don't work and gear ruined by them.

As to the battery bank size, 70% of your 600A bank, that's 180 AH used, (2160 watt hours) and it would take your 250W of PV, nearly 9 hours to replace that, and you really need 2600W to replace and allow for recharge losses. So you are either not actually going down 30% (70% remaining) or you are not completly recharging the batteries, as a 250W panel/array, only realisticly produces 200W under good conditions.

So some actual measuremts are in order.

What nearly always happens is folks underestimate their loads, and over estimate their production. This ends badly for the oversized battery bank which slowly sulphates and looses capacity till it dies after about a year, or the following fall, when days get shorter, and it becomes apparent the batteries have died.

[milezone]

Thanks Mike for the input. Now back to the question at hand. Can anyone recommend a good charge controller that will handle both Solar and Wind, and not the cheap flea bay types.
I do prefer to have one controller working my batteries, if possible.

Russ

[Mike90250]

Can anyone recommend a good charge controller that will handle both Solar and Wind, and not the cheap flea bay types.

I know of none. 2 very different sources need 2 different control systems. Maybe someone else has ideas ?? Hello ?? Bueller ? Bueller ?

[taxideytis]

my system have the followings
Batteries 800Amp. 12 volt. (4 Rolls 6 volt.)
4 solar panel x 80 watt. Steca (pwm) 12 volt PR-3030 charge controller.
1 wind generator 200watt ( air breeze) with its own controller
1 gas generator with 30 amp charger. (I charge periodically the batteries when it goes down from 40%)

I use my home system only for 5-7 days per month. The other days nothing.

Do you think Mike that I will have problem with my batteries soon?