Specifications

10
About load diversion (For wind/hydro turbines)
The basic operating philosophy of a diversion controller is quite simple. Monitor the battery voltage, and if it
should rise to a predetermined level, connect a diversion load or “ Dummy Load”, of sufficient size, to the
battery or energy source to prevent the battery voltage from increasing any further. This is a very simple, yet
very effective way of preventing battery overcharging. All alternate energy systems should have some form of
battery overcharge protection.
Several schools of thought on the subject.
1. The source of power (wind turbine, solar panels etc.) -- should remain connected to the batteries while
the dump load controller is actively dumping the excess voltage.
2. The source should be diverted to the load directly and disconnected from the batteries.
We happen to believe that is far better to leave the wind turbine connected to the batteries at all times.
Why? When you remove the battery level voltage from a wind turbine and send it's power directly to a
load, and then it sees for all practical purposes a short circuit (depending on the resistance of the load
and lead wires.) This may cause the turbine blades to slow dramatically and in some cases bring it to a
halt. This braking action can cause heat build up in the stator if it is repeated every few seconds or so (if
the battery is just a little over the top). When you allow the turbine to see the batteries, along with
the load, the turbine remains more within its design realm -- always a good thing.
This controller is designed to allow the turbine to be hooked up directly to the batteries, and is not
disconnected when the batteries become charged.
Diversion Load Types
A diversion load needs to be larger (by at least 10-20%), than the sum total of all your solar/wind/hydro charge
sources combined that will be routed through the diversion load. When the diversion load is too small, battery
voltage may continue to rise even when the diversion is active. It is also important to use a load that is not likely
to fail. Light bulbs and similar such loads are not good diversion (dummy) loads, since they will fail and you
may be left with no method to dump the excess energy going into your batteries.
It is commonly thought that a standard 120vac, 2000 watt heating element (readily available from your local
hardware store), would make a good load; however, in reality, they are not well suited, as it takes several of
these elements to actually be effective in lower voltage systems. A 2000 watt, 120VAC element will not
dissipate 2000 watts at lower voltages. You will need to install multiple elements in parallel to achieve the
desired load specifications.
Please use the following chart as a quick guide in using a 2000-watt, 120 VAC heating elements.
30Vdc dump (24Vdc system) -- 125 Watts -- 4.2 amps
15Vdc dump (12Vdc system) -- 35 Watts – 2.1 amps
120Vac -- 2000 Watts, at 16.7 amps
Basically, a standard 2000-watt, 120 VAC element, in a 12-volt system will only dissipate 35 watts.