I want to use a DC Water Heating Element as a Dump Load for a 48v/30amp
small wind turbine and/or photovoltaic set-up. Say I´m looking at an
absolute maximum power output of 1.4kW. I would like the power to go
straight from the renewable system to an immersion hot water tank DC
water heating element. This would save a lot of expensive electronics
and it should also minimise power losses. There are some very good,
cheap, small wind turbines in this power range available. I want to
install this for my mother and she lives in a very windy area in the
West of Ireland so the pay back time should be short.

As Mike Dodd has pointed out such DC Water Heater Elements are
available he

http://www.realgoods.com/renew/shop/.../sd/1204/ts/10...

Is this safe to do or will I fry the wind turbine generator? What kind
of life times do DC water heating elements have? Do I need another
fail-safe dump load and the associated electronics (probably, I
suspect, to avoid Murphy´s Law)? Anyone done this already?

Any and all advice welcome.

TIA, Dermot.