SouthWest Windpower 12V turbine (Air-X) to 24v battery bank?

DMJ72
DMJ72 Solar Expert Posts: 131 ✭✭
in Wind Power Generation #1
Good evening folks,

I am trying to help a friend of the family with their solar-wind setup that was done very very poorly.

To cut a long story short, they have a 12v Air-x or Air-40 (I need to take this down to see what model it is - no documentation was provided by the installer) on a ~25' mast. However to my horror, the "installers" patched the wind turbine directly into a 12V AGM battery which was part of the old 24V battery bank :

smwind1.jpg


These batteries have been sent for scrap as they were basically useless... As you can see the far right 12v AGM was swollen due to overcharging (thats where the wind was attached before it was moved it to the left one). I have stepped in to help them make sense of this system (there were many other problems on the solar side too)

I have replaced these AGMs with 8x Rolls S-530 400AH for a capacity of 800AH@24V.

The homeowner is insistent on having his wind generator as a charging source, despite the fact that it hardly ever spins (it is also in a poor location, being blocked by a 4 story apartment complex). I have at my disposal a Xantrex C-40 and funds are limited. I have directed them to spend all available funds on the Solar which is far more reliable in the tropics compared to wind (he lives in the city, nowhere near the coast).


Any input on how best to achieve this??

Thanks for any help you can provide!
DMJ
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Comments

  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: SouthWest Windpower 12V turbine (Air-X) to 24v battery bank?

    How best to proceed: take it down, flog it or toss it.

    There's no practical way to make a 12 Volt turbine charge a 24 Volt battery bank. You'd end up spending more on it than it would cost to replace with a 24 Volt turbine.

    You might want to get a 12 Volt battery and demonstrate how much power this thing puts out. Don't forget that without the diversion controller the installer left out (obviously an idiot) that battery will fry too.
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  • DMJ72
    DMJ72 Solar Expert Posts: 131 ✭✭
    #3
    Re: SouthWest Windpower 12V turbine (Air-X) to 24v battery bank?

    Thanks Carib.

    I will show them this thread.

    Even with a Diversion controller capable of both boost-buck DC-DC conversion, it is still going to be a lot of money that is better spent on the Solar, which is great year round here. The homeowner seemed to have fallen in love with the wind-gen during hurricane Sandy when it was producing some power after the storm passed. I suspect that is when the AGMs were overcharged.
    Outside of Tropical storm winds, it hardly moves. I doubt its even producing 1 KWH/month. Waste of time.


    I am going to try my best to convince them to take it down and sell it. The sailboat people or a hobbyist will buy it (hopefully). I don't see putting wind back there, because its not a high or a even a low-wind site. IMHO, they were duped to put in a wind generator in the first place.

    Thanks, DMJ
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  • bill von novak
    bill von novak Solar Expert Posts: 891 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: SouthWest Windpower 12V turbine (Air-X) to 24v battery bank?
    DMJ72 wrote: »
    The homeowner is insistent on having his wind generator as a charging source, despite the fact that it hardly ever spins (it is also in a poor location, being blocked by a 4 story apartment complex). I have at my disposal a Xantrex C-40 and funds are limited. . . .

    Any input on how best to achieve this??

    Buy a 12V starter battery. Connect the Air-X to the battery and let it float it. That's super cheap and will not cause any battery imbalance in the main pack. Perhaps connect a 12V LED light to the starter battery if he wants to show he's generating something.
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  • DMJ72
    DMJ72 Solar Expert Posts: 131 ✭✭
    #5
    Re: SouthWest Windpower 12V turbine (Air-X) to 24v battery bank?

    Thank you to everyone for their input. I will forward this thread to the homeowners to read. :)

    DMJ
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