TS-MPPT-600V-48 Wind charging control Info

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down during full power, high voltage operation. As indicated in the first section of this paper, the turbine’s maximum
Voc during unloaded operation (highest wind speeds) can never exceed the max. voltage rating of (150V or 600V)
while it is connected to the TriStar MPPT controller, even if the transient is only microseconds in duration.
The TriStar MPPT controllers can shut down under many scenarios. The most susceptible time for a fault can be
during the highest power and voltage levels. When the controller shuts down the sudden drop in power will create
an inductive surge from the turbine which clipper circuits will not typically be able to respond to quickly enough to
prevent transient voltages. All TriStar MPPT controllers include transient voltage surge protection (TVS) of 4500W
which can get damaged from high power inductive surges associated with turbines. Damage of the TriStar MPPT
TVS’s is not covered under warranty. However, if the damage is limited it may be possible to replace the TVS’s in the
controller. Using a 20A fuse on the input can in some cases prevent more serious damage to the controller.
Metering devices will often not be fast enough to sense and an overvoltage surge which happens before the switch
can make a connection. The TriStar MPPT includes daily logged data which includes the daily high input voltage. Daily
logged data can be viewed with LiveView or downloaded with MSView
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. If excessive input voltages are indicated the
TVS’s or other overvoltage protection may be protecting the TriStar MPPT controller to some extent. However, high
voltages should be prevented before further operation as it will exceed thje max. voltage rating of some components
in the system.
It may be necessary to set switching to a lower voltage, prevent open circuit voltage surges with capacitors or have a
faster solid state switch. Since there can be so many factors that can affect the voltage surges it is important that any
overvoltage protection is engineered to be failsafe.
Low Voltage
The minimum operating input is slightly higher than the battery voltage. Therefore, the “cut-in” voltage of the
turbine needs to be above the battery voltage. For example, it would not be practical to use a 24V nominal turbine
with a 48V nominal battery.
The TriStar MPPT 600V controller also has a maximum input current that needs to be considered. The voltage vs.
power curve should be able to be plotted below the maximum input current power levels shown in the Input Voltage
vs. Battery Charging Power Graph (figure 3).
Over-Current Protection
Fusing the input of the TriStar MPPT controllers can help prevent the possibility of serious damage to the controller
circuits in case of failed overvoltage protection. Recommended Breaker and Fuse ratings:
TriStar MPPT (150V) = Size input Fuse or Breaker current for Rated Output Current
TriStar MPPT (600V) = 20A (1 at the input of each controller for parallel input setup*)
* - Parallel input with TS-MPPT 600V is currently not available.
TriStar MPPT Wind Setup
The wind setup includes the following steps:
1) Custom Programing of the TriStar MPPT for Wind using the TriStar MPPT or TriStar MPPT 600V Setup Wizard
in MSView
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.
2) The Voltage vs. Power Curve will designate the Wind Tracking.