Do the Coleman Air controllers downshift the voltage coming from the PV panels or wind turbine?
No, only MPPT controllers have such a feature. MPPT controllers work well for solar, but are not a good choice for wind power. Please see the discussion on this subject in our article entitled the Big Picture. Generally you will not need to downshift the voltage from your turbine if is properly matched to your battery bank. A properly matched turbine/battery bank is when wind speeds in the range of 5 to 7 mph produce an open circuit voltage just above the nominal charge voltage of your battery bank. For example, in a 24 volt battery based system, the turbine should produce 25 volts or so at around 5 to 7 mph wind speed. Therefor, when the wind speed increases a little more, the voltage will rise a little more (and of course the current will increase.) As the wind speed increases more, both the voltage and current will both increase, but the load on the turbine will become increasing greater. At some point (based on blade design, alternator design and many other factors), the turbine wi
