Over the past few days I've digested the technical information provided for the Air-X wind turbine. This wind generator has integrated electronics which monitors voltage level and wind speed, and controls (limits) wind turbine speed if either of those levels exceed a specific threshold. The voltage level monitoring can be bypassed if there is a separate voltage regulator installed (such as in hybrid or multiple power source environments). At this point I still prefer to use the onboard electronics contained within the Air-X but it's good to know there are other options available if the power generation system becomes more complex (and it will).
One drawback to using the 12V version of the Air-X generator, I've realized, is the system generates twice the amps (electrical current) than the 24V model. Since wire size is based upon the current carried, this means the wire connecting the generator to the battery bank needs to be bigger than if I had used the 24V model. However, using the 12V model means I don't have to mess with converting 24V back down to 12V by splitting it in parallel over two different 12V batteries. Staying at 12V is simpler, even if it means I'll be spending more on thicker (and heavier) copper wiring.
I'm also deciding where, exactly, the output from the solar panels will be connected into the battery bank. I don't want to connect them to the same point as the wind generators. Since both systems could be charging the battery bank at the same time, I need to limit the possibility that the output of one system will fool the other system into believing the battery banks are fully charged (batteries are charged at a slightly higher voltage than they discharge). This means the power generation systems need to be isolated from each other, somehow, so that voltage from one system won't back feed into another system.
Here's the idea: Since the battery bank is really three sets of 12V batteries, that means there are actually three points in the battery circuit where external power generators could be connected. The batteries would provide the isolation between three different power sources (shore/genset, wind, solar). So, instead of connecting all three power sources to the same power block, each power source is connected (in parallel) across a different set of 12V battery terminals.
I'll need to work it out on paper, as well as verify this solution will still work with ship's "ground", before I decide to test it. But the idea, at least in principle, seems solid. The benefits include easier troubleshooting, insurance that a bad battery doesn't take out the whole bank, and the ability to use the manufacturer's voltage regulation on the wind generator (and possibly the solar panels, too). The drawback is it might be a really, really dumb idea. I could be totally wrong on the circuit design. I won't know until I've drawn it all out on paper, worked out the relevant formulas, and determined they could work.