Hybrid System

1 Posts
Nov 3, 2009 04:21 am
Hybrid System

I'm looking to set up a new solar / wind off-grid hybrid system. I've decided on using a 3kW wind turbine and a 2.1kW PV array. I would like to use both systems to charge a single battery bank and I'm looking for the best configuration to accomplish this. It looks like I need to have 2 separate chargers, is this the case? Or is there a product specifically for this purpose? Can I put 2 chargers on to 1 battery bank?
 
Nov 29, 2009 12:12 am
Re: Hybrid System

Q - "It looks like I need to have 2 separate chargers, is this the case?"
A - Possibly.

Q - Or is there a product specifically for this purpose?
A - Yes. But insure that maximum wattage or amperage guidelines as set by the manufacture of the charge controller are not exceeded by your pv or wind.

Q - Can I put 2 chargers on to 1 battery bank?
A - Most definitely. 3 or 4 even if, for example, you want to add hydro and or an ice (Infernal, I mean Internal Combustion Engine) genset. Or maybe another wind genny and or more pv. The important thing is not to exceed the charge controllers, manufactures maximum wattage or amperage input. Research products carefully and all should go well for you.
 
99 Posts
Jan 5, 2010 04:34 pm
Re: Hybrid System

PV charge controllers are usually not rated to handle the volatility of wind turbines.  A wind turbine charge controller may have an auxiliary input for solar however.  E.g. the charge controller that comes with Bergey turbines has this.
 
10 Posts
Jan 6, 2010 10:30 pm
Re: Hybrid System

 WE have installed a hybrid system. I have not found a lot of answers out there.
 First we installed the bergey XL1 thinking that we could easily just add the 700 watts of solar, the the controller is advertised to handle. Well when we where ready to add the solar we were told that it may not be a good idea to use the bergey contoller.
  So I called bergey and talked to a tech, not a sales person, he said that he did not reccomend adding that much solar. He did not say dont do it but he hinted at having to work on controllers that people had added solor panels to.
  We added a seperate charge controller for the solar.
 
10 Posts
Jan 14, 2010 11:49 am
Re: Hybrid System

Most quality wind turbines come with their own control boxes that have a battery charger built into them. If you are considering one that doesn't, you should take a very close look at the reputation of the manufacturer and the unit in question.

For the best performance of a hybrid system, I'd recommend separate charge controllers for the wind and PV. Particularly if you are interested in the MPPT feature of a PV controller. The MPPT feature will boost performance considerably. The Bergey controller, for example, does not have an MPPT controller built into it.

FYI, Blue Sky has come out with an MPPT controller for PV that also has a diversion load controller for wind. Depending on the other components you choose, that could come in handy as not all wind controllers have diversion load controllers.

Sincerely,

Bramley

 

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