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17. Micro-Hydro and Fuel Cell Applications
The Charge Controller is designed to work with solar arrays. Although it will work with micro-hydro
turbines and fuel cell, OutBack Power Systems can only o er limited technical support for these
applications because there is too much variance in micro-hydro and fuel cell generator speci cations.
When used for micro-hydro or fuel cell applications, the Charge Controller warranty will be honored
only if the manufacturer and turbine model have been approved by OutBack Power Systems. Please
check with one of the following manufacturers or OutBack Power Systems before employing the
Charge Controller with these applications:
• Harris Hydroelectric
(831) 425-7652
www.harrishydro.com
• Alternative Power & Machine
(541) 476-8916
www.apmhydro.com
• Energy System & Design
(506) 433-3151
www.microhydropower.com
The Charge Controller is not compatible with wind turbine applications and OutBack cannot
warranty its use in these applications.
MICRO-HYDRO AND FUEL CELL SYSTEMS PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION
Micro-hydro and fuel cell systems are di erent than PV systems, whose VOC output is more subject to
change due to weather and time of day. A PV system normally nds its Maximum Power Point voltage
between 50-90% of its VOC. A micro-hydro or fuel cell system’s MPP voltage can be outside of this
range.
The Charge Controller allows a user to experiment and nd more appropriate set points to best
capture the MPP voltage using U-Pick mode. Otherwise, Auto Track begins tracking the VOC and works
its way down until the optimum percentage of input voltage yields the MPP voltage. If U-Pick % Voc is
chosen, the MPP is calculated by whatever value is found in Park Mpp, even if it’s not the optimal value
for determining the MPP voltage. For this reason, OutBack normally suggests leaving the system in
Auto Sweep mode.
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