Info about Hydro setup

Wilis

Hi,

I have a friend in NE Nicaragua. http://www.wingsovernicaragua.org/ He has both solar and a small 25 amp hydro. At present he has an Outback 60a CC that he charges his batteries from solar with. The hydro he just runs directly into the batteries. This has to be monitored so it doesn’t over charge. Does anyone have a small hydro that they are using a CC with or other way to allow them to charge and not have to monitor? What he needs is a more automatic type system. I wish I had hydro but don’t so am lacking in experience with this type of charging. Thanks for any info you can give me.

mike95490

Re: Info about Hydro setup

I've heard many small hydro systems work well with MPPT controllers, but diversion loads are still needed.

Cariboocoot

Re: Info about Hydro setup

WaynefromNSCanada has a micro-hydro set-up. He talks about the controller a bit in this thread:
http://forum.solar-electric.com/showthread.php?t=12495

BB.

Re: Info about Hydro setup

Otherwise, a simple "shunt/dump" configured PWM controller will work fine too for hydro... Just set the dump voltage a bit higher than the maximum solar charging (and generator charging) voltage set point.

For example, the solar/generator charge to 14.5-14.6 volts maximum, and the dump controller is configured to turn on (dump) at 14.8 volts.

Dump controllers are not really the nicest charge controller out there (in engineering we would call them "bang bang" controllers (yea--hit the Hight Limit Stop then hit the Low Limit Stop). But they will help keep the batteries from over charging.

The issue with using a "simple" MPPT charge controller with a hydro is the question of what happens when the battery is charged (or the MPPT controller stops accepting current from the turbine for any reasons). Wind Turbines and many Hydro Turbines will over-speed and can self destruct with no electrical load.

It is certainly possible to get much better output power (watts/Watt*Hours) using a MPPT type controller to match with a Wind/Water Turbine (i.e., perhaps the turbine generator will run 12 volts @ 10 amps and 24 volts @ 9 amps--That would give you 120 watts or 216 watts with MPPT).

So, you have to evaluate your system, what would happen if there was a failure, and if there is a possibility of power increase (with a more expensive MPPT controller) and how much that is worth to you.

-Bill

waynefromnscanada

Re: Info about Hydro setup

Yes, I'm able to use a Morningstar TS-MPPT-60 on my micro micro hydro, connected exactly as if the alternator were a solar panel. BUT, only because when the load comes off and the turbine revs up, it does not over rev due to only about 15 feet of head, AND, it's unloaded, reved up voltage does not exceed 65. So all is within the safe specs of the controller. The controller does sweeps, just as it would on solar, only it finds the best operating speed/load to put on the turbine for the highest output. If my system had a higher head, and/or it the unloaded voltage was too close to the max the controller can handle, I'd have to use a dump load, but I'm very very lucky, so my system can be very simple.

SolaRevolution

Re: Info about Hydro setup

I just finished hooking up a small hydro system similar to Wayne's but with higher voltage turbine output.

It is a 120 v Hydro Induction Power turbine. The low head produced an open circuit voltage of +/- 180 vdc on the rectifier's output. The #6 cable runs 450' to the power room and into a Midnite Classic 200 MPPT charge controller to charge a 24 volt sealed battery bank.

The Midnite Classic 200 is able to handle an input of 200 volts +the battery voltage (224 volts for this system) The MPPT can sweep and control the charge as it would with a PV array. No need for a diversion load. Keeping a diversion load controller and multiple other charging sources coordinated can be a real juggling act, so it was a big plus for this system with sealed batteries and a very non-tech system owner.

The MPPT is really used in this system. The penstock is fed from the overflow of a small pond. To accommodate various flow rates there is a small nozzle and a larger nozzle. When the valves are switched the Classic sweeps and automatically finds the new MPP.

It is so comforting to have a system that will not self-destruct if someone turns off the wrong breaker or opens a valve too fast.
I hope that the higher voltage MPPT charge controllers (up to 600 vdc input) are able to work in this way too. I wonder if the XW MPPT80-600 could do this?