Solar Generator
How do you connect a Solar Panel and wind generator in parallel?
I have an ~18v solar panel and a ~15v wind turbine. Sometimes one generates more voltage than the other. How would I get both of them to charge one ~12v battery? I can’t just connect them in parallel with diodes, because in that case, only the higher voltage source gets used. Is there a special charge controller circuit that will do this?
Placing diodes in series with each source to the battery would solve your problem. You should use a charge controller on the system to prevent overcharging the battery.
I’ve put together a relatively simple dump load circuit which diverts excess power to high power resistors. It is part of a wind charging system with inputs from wind, solar, and a DC power supply.
http://members.rennlist.org/warren/wind.html
http://members.rennlist.org/warren/rackwiring.jpg
http://members.rennlist.org/warren/dumpload.html