how solar/wind tie together

sbassman

I need to properly connect both. Currently not workiing right. Voltage finally reached 14.5v on windy day but never seemed to with solar only. then started to cycle between 12.3 and14.5 every minute or so. Same result with only solar connected and dump load disconnected. Was the solar controller trying to discharge the bank. Here is what I have . 3x- 12v/50w pv panels to 12v Greenenergystar charge controller to 3-deep cycle 12v batteries in parallel. Pma 12v to diversion controller to batteries. Set at 12.3 and 14.5 volts and load is 3-300watt resistors 1 or 2 ohms each. Some specs of solar controller. Over-Charge(V) Protection 14.4 ± 0.1
Resume 13.6 ± 0.1
Over-Discharge(V) Cut-off 10.8 ± 0.1
Resume 12.3 ± 0.1
Over-Loaded Cut-off 16.5
Resume 15.
I am planning on starting over with possibly a single controller that will accept both and a display so I can see whats going on. Good idea or not?

BB.

Re: how solar/wind tie together

sbassman wrote: »

I need to properly connect both. Currently not workiing right. Voltage finally reached 14.5v on windy day but never seemed to with solar only. then started to cycle between 12.3 and14.5 every minute or so.

Hmm... A "dump load" could do this... Where is the voltage being measured (right at the battery bank, or on some "long" wire run elsewhere)?

Same result with only solar connected and dump load disconnected. Was the solar controller trying to discharge the bank.

A PWM solar charge controller is simply an "on/off" switch. Switch closed, current from array should be charging the battery bank. Switch open, the battery bank drops back to its open circuit voltage (or lower, if there are DC loads drawing from the battery bank).

If nothing but charge controller and battery bank (no loads--and a properly configured/installed solar charge controller cannot draw significant power as it has no place to send the power--such as a load or resistor bank), 12.3 is a pretty low battery voltage and may indicate a severely discharged and/or sulfated battery bank.

Usual of trying to get battery recharged, check specific gravity. Check electrical connections, current flow, etc.

Here is what I have . 3x- 12v/50w pv panels to 12v Greenenergystar charge controller to 3-deep cycle 12v batteries in parallel. Pma 12v to diversion controller to batteries. Set at 12.3 and 14.5 volts and load is 3-300watt resistors 1 or 2 ohms each. Some specs of solar controller. Over-Charge(V) Protection 14.4 ± 0.1

If you have flooded cell batteries, I would probably try to set the dump controller at 14.8 volts or so--At least at first. That way you can see what the solar charge controller is doing (does it turn off/regulate at 14.5 volts) and when you have lots of wind, the dump controller would turn on at 14.8 volts--Because of the wind turbine and the need to dump excess charging current.

Over-Charge Protection--I would set at 14.8 to 15.0 volts. At least for experimentation. If you have a really windy location and well performing wind turbine, you should not reach this voltage (except 15-15.5 volts when equalizing a flooded cell battery bank).

If you have AGM batteries, usually the charging voltages are around 14.2 to 14.4 volts (at 77F/25C).

Resume 13.6 ± 0.1
Over-Discharge(V) Cut-off 10.8 ± 0.1
Resume 12.3 ± 0.1
Over-Loaded Cut-off 16.5

Not quite sure what "resume" means at 12.3 volts--Unless you have a load relay and it cuts the loads off from the battery bank--And will not reconnect the loads until 12.3 volts is reached--Not a bad voltage to pick.
Resume 15.

I am planning on starting over with possibly a single controller that will accept both and a display so I can see whats going on. Good idea or not?

What controller are you thinking of using (link?). It is tough to get a "good controller" or set of controllers to play well together with Solar and Wind.

Solar/series charge controllers do a better job of charging/taking care of the battery bank.

Dump/shunt controllers (dumping current to a load bank) tend not to do as well (unless you find one with PWM type modulation of the current to the load bank--i.e., on and off 100's to 1,000's of times a second, vs ON for from 14.4 down to 13.6, then off until 14.4 is reached again.

I don't have any experience with mixed solar/wind systems--But I have worked with systems that have multiple controllers and getting them to "play together nicely" can be a full time job.

-Bill

stephendv

Re: how solar/wind tie together

sbassman wrote: »

I am planning on starting over with possibly a single controller that will accept both and a display so I can see whats going on. Good idea or not?

Yes, the simplest way to use solar and wind together is to just use a single diversion charge controller with a dump load capable of handling the peak power output of both. You don't need another controller for the solar. And you don't need to find a diversion controller that "accepts both input" because you don't connect the solar and wind to the controller, you connect them to the battery.
Both the wind turbine output and the solar output should be connected directly to the battery bank. Then the diversion controller is connected to the battery and the output of the diversion controller goes to the dump load. Attached is a diagram from morningstar about how to connect their diversion controller.
Effectively you have all the charging sources + the diversion controller itself connected to the battery bank in parallel, that way you can connect as many different charging sources as you like, no need for additional inputs on the charge controller.
Attachment not found.

In a "normal" solar-only mode, that same controller will have the PV as input and sends it's PWM signal to the battery as output. In diversion mode, the battery itself is connected as input and the PWM signal goes to the diversion load as output, so that it can divert excess power to the load and maintain the battery at a given voltage.

Note that your resistors must be able to handle the combined peak power output of both the solar panels (150W) and wind (?W).