Hi there!

I am currently designing a small-scale wind turbine energy generation system that includes the following components: a 5V DC motor, a 6-60V solar and wind energy charge controller, two 3.7V 18650 lithium ion batteries for energy storage, a voltmeter display to measure voltage from the turbine, a battery capacity indicator for the battery health, a buck converter, an arduino mega 2560, a lidar sensor and servo motor. The picture attached also displays the wiring schematic I have designed at the current moment (ignore the solar panels for the time being).

1. My first question is whether or not I really need the 6-60V charge controller if there isn't ever going to be a 6V voltage from the turbine? Should I keep the controller in or just scrap it all together and let the voltage flow directly into my batteries? The voltage output from the turbine ranges from 1V-2.5V for the most part, so it really isn't enough to power all of my electronics within the board, let alone the range needed for the charge controller.

2. My next question is how I can charge the batteries using the turbines energy generation and then power my components at the same time using the batteries (how would this look on the actual breadboard?).

3. Looking at the schematic, does anyone have any recommendations about the current design (removing components to that aren't needed, adding/altering certain connections)

If it helps for me to explain this better just let me know, any advice helps! Thank you!

 

The 6-60V charge controller is designed for higher voltage inputs than what your wind turbine provides. Given that your turbine output ranges from 1V to 2.5V, this charge controller won't operate correctly because its input voltage threshold is not met.

Other part is weather to charge your batteries directly or not. You can do that but it's not ideal either. Lithium-ion batteries require specific charging profiles to ensure safety and longevity, typically involving a constant current (CC) and constant voltage (CV) phase. Charging directly from the turbine without proper regulation could damage the batteries

My advice is to use a boost converter to increase the voltage from the turbine to a suitable level that can then be fed into a charge controller or directly into the batteries if designed properly.

My next question is how I can charge the batteries using the turbines energy generation and then power my components at the same time using the batteries (how would this look on the actual breadboard?).

Connect the output of the charge controller to the positive and negative terminals of the lithium-ion batteries. Ensure proper polarity.
Connect the positive and negative terminals of the batteries to the input of the buck converter. This will provide power to your components from the batteries.
Connect the output of the buck converter to the power rails of the breadboard. From there, distribute power to your components (Arduino Mega 2560, lidar sensor, servo motor, voltmeter display, battery capacity indicator, etc.).


Simulate the designed system in software (Matlab/simulink or LTSpice) specifically designed for these type of circuits

 

I have one big question, which is how much current can that generator deliver with the wind sped you are planning on having to spin it. The reality is that operating all of those devices will demand some power and that is a very solid limitation.

 

It all comes down to energy.

You need to create an "energy budget" first, figure out how much power your system needs, and how much your generator can produce.
If the number is negative, you can decrease the energy demand by operating the hardware in bursts, sleeping in between.

No point designing a circuit until you sort this out.

 

I am wondering just how big that wind turbine is. And what about the solar cell array? How much power will that be able to deliver??
The five volts output makes it sound like it is a computer fan, but I hope that is not the case.
Five volts is seldom used as a generator output because to deliver a useful amount of power takes a lot of current at such a low voltage. A more useful scheme could be to use that output to boost the solar cell output voltage by a series connection scheme. (That will take a bit of thinking.)

So what we need next is to know the capabilities of both sources, AMPS, volts, Watts.