how to make a load control for wind turbine

[befnme]

Hi all,

 I am very new to green power. I have just purchased a 130vdc motor and hub from ebay. Everything seems simple enough until i get to the run away turbine. Under load it will only spin @ RPM, but when the batteries are fully charged will it spin wildly? How do I rectify this? Also can I use a solar charge controler to stop the turbine from charging when the batts are full? Is there a step by step tutorial on this anywhere? Thanks in advance.

[kurt]

http://otherpower.com/users_manual.shtml

[Flux]

There will be no noticeable difference in speed between flat battery and full charge.

You have two problems. To prevent battery overcharge you need a diversion load controller. Some units can be used as solar controllers and diversion controllers, the solar mode has the controller in series and open circuits the panel, this doesn't work for wind and it will kill the controller and probably damage the windmill.

Controllers that can't be used in diversion mode are not viable. Your turbine must stay connected to the battery and the controller diverts excess power to a dump load.

The bigger problem you have is controlling the turbine when the output exceeds the rating of your motor. In high winds the thing will just burn out and it will become noisy and dangerous.

If the thing is more than 4ft diameter you will need some form of furling scheme to keep it under control.

Flux

[befnme]

If i use an inverter that has a 3amp draw will that take the place of a dump control?

[Capt Slog]

It might if your turbine will only ever produce 3 amps, and you were prepared to be there to switch it on whenever this happened.

But in the real world this just isn't going to happen is it?  

You need a dump load and a controller.  This isn't difficult or expensive, have a look for Ghurds controller which I think he sells for around $12 and you can fabricate a dump load, I've made one so search through my diaries to find it.

That will take care of your overcharging, but as Flux points out, you have to have something to protect the turbine when the power available in the wind will exceed what you turbine is capable of putting out.  If you don't do this, it will just keep making more and more power (dumping it as it goes) untill it burns out.  To prevent this you will need something to take the blades out of the wind; this is furling.

You need both dump AND furling to keep the whole thing under control.

[finnsawyer]

Once you have a controller you will need a dump load.  Check this link for some ideas:

     http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2008/2/5/19512/69381