Links

Mozda Windmill page: contains all files about windmill projects. e.g. schematic of the electrical system( very useful!) and presentation full of pics on the various renewable energy R&D in India. Covers Mozda, Bilgaon, ARTI and others.
Mozda LED lighting presentation.
Rashron: maker of pedal power bikes & electric assist kits in India.

Amazing website which contains Torque Speed curve for bicycle riders!

UIUC design: Design files of UIUC guys in pdf format, uploaded on udai website. proposal, presentation, appendix, final report, design review.

Appendix has all the circuits & schematics, is thus most important document for study.

Pspice models of power electronic components from various vendors! (thanks to Abhijit!) , and Fairchild Power Mosfet libraries this and this. Other Mosfets available with International Rectifiers

Tim Nolan, an electronics hobbyist, has designed a custom MPPT controller. (Maximum Power Tracking Controller) Though built for low voltages right now, can be modified for increased voltage. It is very cheap yet sophisticated, and can boost solar array power by 30% Michael say, it should cost around 50$
redrok.com Electronic Projects: The other site that Michael wrote about in his most recent e-mail. It has descriptions and links to various electronic circuits and many of which are applicable to power generation. Th peak power tracker project suggests a very simple circuit to do MPPT, and my turn out to be cheaper than Nolan's circuit.
A good survey of MPPT patents.

patented & designed by Jean-Michel Cour. He has graciously allowed noncommercial replication of tunecharger. Extensive documentation is available here and here.
Right now designed as a 20W battery charger, from any nonlinear source. (wind+solar+pedal+hydel) and any battery (6-18V). It can also charge from source at lower voltage than sinks.
It is based on boost converter architect, with clever MPPT implementation. Thus it can track max power point.
Initial parts cost seems dirt cheap! Basic ckt parts cost <40$
An active yahoogroup of hobbyists is tweaking, replicating, furthering the tunecharger.
Tested for all above sources & batteries.

Outback converter MX60 superb 98% efficiencies, 150VDC max input voltage,variable stepdown capability. Its data sheet is here. It has way too many features, hence is costly.
Other commercial charge controllers apart from Outback. link It also explains what is MPPT. Maximum Power point tracking.
Blue Sky MPPT charge controller. a cheaper 200$ controller.

Good tutorial on battery charging & detecting EOC (end of charge).
Two popular battery management ICs, suggested by Michael. Old UC3906 & new TI controller BQ2031. It can sense the voltage level of the battery and apply the appropriate charging algorithm.
Battery basics everyone should know :-) A detailed, easy to read guide. Also a FAQ
SEPIC converter. This is non-inverting buck boost converter, giving largest flexibility with i/p, o/p voltages.

Contents