5kw turbine problem

[carey123]

I’ve recently installed a 5kw wind turbine/ charge controller and grid inverter. Problem is that when it’s all connected the turbine is stiff to turn but when it’s disconnected from the charge controller it spins freely. Anyone experienced this before?
Thanks

 

[Cronix]

Are you sure it's hooked up correctly? It sounds like you're sending power TO the turbine instead of FROM, creating a fan instead of a generator. I haven't used a turbine, but worked with large DC motors for a number of years. If you manually turn the motor (wind in this case), it will produce/generate electricity. If you send power to the motor, it will turn (or seize/lock up, depending on if it's underpowered)

 

[kommando]

The charge controller should only kick in at a set trigger voltage, until then the turbine should spin freely. Then when the trigger voltage is met then power is produced and the turbine becomes harder to spin. So something is wired wrongly or the settings are off.

You need to give a lot more details on the specs of the equipment before you can get a meaningful answer.

 

[Mattb4]

It takes power to make power. So if the SCC is loading the turbine it will become progressively harder to spin. Same principle as electro dynamic braking.

 

[OzSolar]

I've seen some controllers with a braking function. This can be engaged manually or in the event of an error it happens automatically.

That will make the rotor hard(er) to turn but not impossible. It does this by shorting two of the three phases together.

It might at simple that until you go through a start up process the brake is engaged.

Links to manuals and a manufacture part # would be very helpful.

 

[carey123]

The turbine I have is a Tesup 5kw. I’ve attached a picture of the controller. The only wires that are connected at the moment are the 3 wires from the turbine to the controller, the inverter or the shunt load aren’t wired yet.
The turbine turns freely but just connecting the 3 wires to the controller then the turbine is harder to turn by hand ( not impossible but way harder). Would phase rotation of the wires from the turbine to the controller make a difference. Any help on the settings of the controller would be appreciated.
Thanks for your patience

 

[400bird]

You should probably at least hook up a battery. I doubt that you have enough connected at this point.
It may be that the controller shorts the 3 phases together (braking) until you have enough hooked up.

 

[carey123]

You should probably at least hook up a battery. I doubt that you have enough connected at this point.
It may be that the controller shorts the 3 phases together (braking) until you have enough hooked up.

Thanks will try that tomorrow.

 

[carey123]

So I connected the batteries to the controller and the turbine turns freely now. Then I connected the inverter and powered it up. The turbine is hard to turn again with the inverter connected. Maybe the inverter I have is not suitable for wind turbines, if so can anyone recommend a suitable inverter please.
Thanks

 

[Hogheavenfarm]

Any loads on the inverter? Besides Idle current? What is the idle current? Sounds like it is trying to start under load. I have some solar panels attached to mine just to keep the batteries at full charge to prevent loading when it starts. Mine will spin freely when disconnected, but under load it is definitely much harder to start.

 

[carey123]

Any loads on the inverter? Besides Idle current? What is the idle current? Sounds like it is trying to start under load. I have some solar panels attached to mine just to keep the batteries at full charge to prevent loading when it starts. Mine will spin freely when disconnected, but under load it is definitely much harder to start.

 

[carey123]

The batteries aren’t fully charged and the inverter is powered up. The inverter I have is the Sun 1000g2. I don’t have the clamp sensor in place but reading online it should work without it.
Thanks for taking the time to read this

 

[Hogheavenfarm]

So the turbine will be trying to charge the batteries and power the inverter as well This is a grid tied inverter? Not familiar with this type. Inverters will generally consume power just to be on, mine uses about 14 watts if on. There should be a "zone" where the turbine does not see a load up to a certain RPM where the charging turns "on", I built mine to turn "on" at 75 RPM, below that it should spin freely and not do any charging.
Sounds like yours may be set to charge at a lower rpm? This would be more likely in a 12v battery scenario where spinup to charging voltage would be at a low rpm.

 

[400bird]

What inverter? You have a charge controller in the pic, I'm not sure how an inverter factors in.

 

[carey123]

So the turbine will be trying to charge the batteries and power the inverter as well This is a grid tied inverter? Not familiar with this type. Inverters will generally consume power just to be on, mine uses about 14 watts if on. There should be a "zone" where the turbine does not see a load up to a certain RPM where the charging turns "on", I built mine to turn "on" at 75 RPM, below that it should spin freely and not do any charging.
Sounds like yours may be set to charge at a lower rpm? This would be more likely in a 12v battery scenario where spinup to charging voltage would be at a low rpm.

the inverter is a sun 1000g2.
I’m thinking I’ll disconnect the inverter and let the turbine charge the batteries first then connect the inverter and go from there. It’s a 48v system.
Thanks for all the help so far

 

[kommando]

This is likely the inverter.

GWL/POWER GridTied AC Inverter With Limiter 2kW SUN-2000G (45-90V) | GWL Group

GWL/POWER GridTied AC Inverter With Limiter 2kW SUN-2000G (45-90V) - Make the most of your solar system. The GridTied inverter with limiter has an output power of 1800 W, operating with input voltages ranging from 45-90 Vdc. The limiter can reduce the output power according to the current consumptio

shop.gwl.eu

There will be a setting for the minimum volts before it will draw from the batteries, there are 2 types of DC input ranges and the lower one suits a 48V battery bank which is the 22 to 65V, not the 45v to 90v.

Looking at the settings screen above its set at 220 which is 22.0V starting voltage which is way too low, as is the other reboot voltage.

From elsewhere on the internet

I have the go to sleep voltage set to 49.5 volts and the wakeup (reboot) voltage at 54 volts.

Don't know if its correct but would be a good starting point.

And limit the max output to 1800W as they cannot handle sustained 2000W output.