Charging Lithium Batteries with Wind Turbine (In addition to my PV + Victron controller)

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chris-4 asked Nov 26, '21

Charging Lithium Batteries with Wind Turbine (In addition to my PV + Victron controller)

Hello. I am still new to the world of solar/renewable energy. I have become involved as my boat now has two Victron 100/30 MTTP controllers for the 2x310w solar panels. These charge my Lithium batteries -- well they will, the lithium batteries will only be installed next week (today lead acid batteries are installed). Of course, these controllers are configurable and I will swap them over to the lithium settings as we drop the new batteries in.

I am adding a Wind Turbine to help out during times of little or no sun - while the supplier tells me that its fine to connect to the batteries, I am deeply concerned due to the lack of any configurability on the (supplied in the same box) wind turbine controller.
So I was considering (without sufficient knowledge so that I why I am here) adding a

Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-30A Non-Isolated DC-DC charger between the provided controller and the battery. My goal is to regulate/clean and control the power coming from the wind turbine.
I also saw a couple of suggestions to use the Victron BMS to do the same job.

Can you please help me with a solution - not requiring too much knowledge or a major build-out -- I want to protect the lithium as much as possible.

Thanks heaps for your input.

battery charging Lithium Battery Hydro and Wind Power

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Tom Ranson commented · Feb 21, 2023 at 06:47 PM

@chris-4 did you ever make any progress with this? I am also trying to solve the same problem.

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Answer 1 · 2023-02-24T04:22:37Z

combatdiver answered · Feb 24, 2023 at 04:22 AM

Hi Chris

My approach will be to install a limitator (dump system), to avoid the unlikely but possible event that where will be lot of wind, and the battery was full. But 99% of the time wind will be low and you will get a few amp ( less than 10) , anymoment.

I use schencler C60. This is a device which can perform 3 task as user selected. 1 on them, is to dump energy to the dump resistors when the V would be rising up to a certain and configurable limit, 14.20 v for example. When it happens, C60 divert the energy through a big resistors, capable to disipate big power. You can also put the water heater resistor as dump resistor

I also set to the windturbine ( D400 for eclectic energy), a 25A breaker. So in case that there is more power than 25A (means you have like more than 30 knots more or less), the breaker will disconect, the D400 will run up until I will stop it, but I will have no more power in the system. My consideration is if I have in my boat 35knots , at night, I will not need more power. If is during the sun, even better if the D400 is off.

BR

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Tom Ranson commented · Feb 24, 2023 at 11:16 AM

Thanks @CombatDiver for the tips. I'm now looking at this charge controller (https://www.renytek.co.uk/hybrid-charge-controllers/hybrid-wind---solar-controller-with-dump-load/) with a dump load resistor. I have validated with the manufacturer that it is definitely LiFePo4 compatible so it should be very straightforward. What do you think?

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combatdiver Tom Ranson commented · Feb 24, 2023 at 02:25 PM

Hi.Let me check it. But I guess this not has to be "lifepo4 compatile". Only it must be adjustable until a voltage below the maximum Lifepo4 admisible voltage (14.8v). This is only bahave as load , all the loads are compatible, with the particuarity that is not a load connectable with a simple switch you turn on/off, is a load that connects depending on the reached voltage, as adjustable.

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combatdiver Tom Ranson commented · Mar 02, 2023 at 07:19 AM

Hi. It doesnt matters LifePo4 or whatever. Just it is a system which diverts energy through a resistor when you have selected a certain Voltage to overpass it

BR

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Answer 2 · 2024-02-02T23:59:50Z

hastings answered · Feb 02 at 11:59 PM

I am looking to do the same and in the process of researching a small 400-500W turbine.

So far I have learnt that Lithium batteries are tricky to charge with wind turbines due to them having a BMS built in that will shut them down / turn them off completely if a problem arises.

For this reason the usual method of a controller that diverts the turbine output to a dump load is not suitable as they are unlikely to have a setting that can detect that the battery has gone offline, ie. zero Volts.

There are some turbines which do not need a dump load. eg Marlec have one. They stop their output by other means (don't ask me how). These turbines tend to have options for Lithium battery charging.

The turbine controller settings need to be done carefully, to stop the turbine output well before the Lithium battery is fully charged so as not to trigger the battery to shutdown. (info from Bimblesolar.com)

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