Pre study of lead acid battery charging for wind power

Abstract: This thesis is a pre-study of lead acid battery charging for variable speed generators connected to vertical axis wind turbines. A system that controls the turbine to optimize the energy absorption while the batteries are charged at a healthy and efficient way is proposed. The system is made for applications that are sited far away from the main grid, such as vacation cottages, boats, caravans and radio base stations. The system should be able to work without maintenance for periods up to a year. The thesis includes theory of aerodynamics, lead acid batteries and battery charging. The main subjects are the optimization of the energy absorption from the wind, how to obtain a long battery life and the integration of a battery bank in the system without interfering with the consuming load. The system is going to be built and tested with a vertical axis wind turbine in Marsta north of Uppsala.