What are the components on the control board and what else do I need?

Charge Controller

Solar energy is inconsistent in day, weather and seasons. ...and is uncontrolled.  The solar charge controller converts power from the solar panels into power required by batteries at this point of battery charge.

Safety Disconnect

A switch to disconnect one circuit from another. The safety disconnects is used to isolate power generation or storage equipment from conditions such as voltage spikes or surges, thus avoiding potential damage to equipment.

Inverters larger than 800 watts in size frequently do not have fusing on their DC input side and require a DC rated fuse

Stop Switch

Installation of many wind turbines requires a stop switch to short circuit the output for servicing or to prevent overspeed conditions. A short circuit causes resistance acting like a brake to slow the wind turbine rotation down enough to stop the blades by hand.  A Stop Switch also provides over-current protection, is usually installed on the controller board but can be installed anywhere between the wind generator and the batteries

Inverter

An Inverter converts direct current electricity (DC) to alternating current (AC), to operate appliances directly or to supply power to an electricity grid.

Selection Criteria:

Input Voltage (usually from 12V to 48V),  Output Watts [the combination of amperage TIMES voltage is Watts], Output Frequency (always 60Hz in North America),

Types:

Stand-alone inverters convert DC power stored in batteries to AC power as required.

Synchronous Inverters are used to convert the DC output to AC power to be connected to the utility grid.

Multifunction inverters performing both functions shown above.

Sub Types:

Square Wave inverters are the simplest and the least expensive type of inverter, but it produces the lowest quality of power.

Modified square wave output are an economical choice in power systems where waveform is not critical. Output is created in 4 steps per cycle. High efficiency and large surge capacity of these inverters makes them ideal for impedance loads (motor loads). Frequently incompatible with light dimmers, copiers and laser printers and variable speed tools to operate properly. The modified wave output may cause a buzz on audio and video equipment.

Sine Wave inverters produce utility-quality sine wave power form. The power outputs above may create high levels of harmonic distortion, which in turn can cause electrical interference and audio hum.

Battery Charger

You'll need a battery charger when nature isn't being co-operative or when you use more energy than is stored.  Most higher end  inverters include a battery charger packaged within the inverter.  The battery charger is powered either by grid power or by a backup generator. Some inverters have the ability to signal the generator to start when battery storage is low or when more power than is available from the battery changer is called for.  Charging batteries properly requires administering the right amount of current at the right voltage. See our Batteries page to learn more about charging and different types of batteries.

AC Distribution Panel

Also called the main panel, or breaker panel or load center and used to be called the fuse box before breakers became popular. Size (amperage rating) is determined by building code and your personal requirements.

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Last modified: January 12, 2023