One diversion controller for Wind and Solar

i will dive into this one.  this to me is a case of can and should.

can you use a diversion controller for both solar and wind? yes.  it would go after battery and only control based on voltage.  it is likely that solar and wind together could easily go over what one diversion load controller would handle.  it is also likely that installing all those blocking diodes would be a pain, and, would increase voltage drop.  the code will require duplicate controllers in case of failure when controlling in a diversion fashion.

the reason that controlling them differently makes sense because they are different in how they operate.  the other advantage is that many solar controllers are very efficient these days, and besides being able to come in at higher voltage than the battery bank (mppt), just about all of them can prevent reverse current, which removes the need for external blocking diodes that increase voltage drop.  even a pwm controller will outperform a module wired straight to the battery.

hope that helps,

james
altE staff

 other than saving the few hundred bucks reason, i would not use a one controller solution.  I think that a two controller solution would provide better controlling and save the hassle of hardwiring blocking diodes.