Need some help with controller for my ARI 700 wind turbine

Bruceherman
Bruceherman Registered Users Posts: 5
I have a ARI wind turbine rated at 700 watts max. It came with a controller for 48 volt battery bank setup. I put it altogether and getting power from the turbine to the controller when wind is blowing. The controller is showing DC volts on the meter so it is going through  rectifier. But I am  not getting any amps to the battery bank. Also no amps on the meter on the controller. This turbine has a brake system that stops the turbine when set point is hit for the batteries on the controller. It has a stop button on it also for repairs or high winds.

My question is how do I fix it or should I replace the controller altogether and what controller should it be.

Comments

  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    What is the output voltage of the turbine... I guess that mfg. has both a 24 volt and 48 volt version.

    Depending on what type of charge controller you have, you should see Vbatt+a couple of volts (if PWM/On/Off type controller) or possibly >Vbatt (if MPPT--Maximum Power Point Tracking) type of controller.

    And, a charge controller only charges if it thinks the battery needs charging. If you have mixed charging (solar, wind, backup grid/genset), is it possible that your battery bank is already >~52-58 volts from those other charging sources?

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset