This is an archive of articles and news on both large and small wind turbines, wind energy & the environment, and links to topics on the history of wind energy.
I've been working with wind energy since 1976 and my professional experience in the subject runs the gamut from wind resource assessment to installing and testing small wind turbines. I continue to follow the industry and analyze its growth and increasing contribution to renewable electricity generation worldwide.
Selsam's SuperTwin had operated unattended from March 2008 through sometime in the spring of 2009.[more]
Loretto, Pennsylvania
Regaining Control by Cutting Demand and Increasing Renewable Energy--Not Quick, Not Cheap, Not Easy But Worth Every Cent
At least several times a year, yet another announcement about a “technological breakthrough” arrives in my e-mail box. Invariably, the device being “unveiled” is a vertical axis wind turbine, and in...
Even with the added costs to deal with intermittency, wind is roughly competitive with other generation technologies under a strong carbon constraint.
Centre for Alternative Technology Machynlleth, Wales I was visiting a planning office in Sydney, and a scrap of paper pinned to the wall caught my eye. It bore a short poem headed "The...[more]
Centre for Alternative Technology Machynlleth, Wales Let's get a few things straight at the beginning. Obviously the debate hinges on both the gravity and urgency of the climate change situation....[more]
Centre for Alternative Technology Machynlleth, Wales Dear Editor While I appreciate the sincerity and good intentions of Rob Collister's cri de coeur regarding wind farms in May/June...[more]
When wind serves upwards of 60 percent of demand, the model chooses to install more GT than GTCC capacity because the lower rates of gas utilization dictate the use of lower efficiency, lower...
The Resource Management Act, plans developed under it, and RMA processes are capable of facilitating wind energy development and of dealing with the range of effects associated with a wind farm....
In response to an announcement about a hike among wind turbines in California's Tehachapi Pass a question was raised about the use of wind turbines in or around parks or other public use areas. The...[more]
In 25 years of wind generation, with 68,000 turbines now worldwide, there are no significant reports of health issues. This includes Denmark, whose turbine density is 30 times that of the UK.
We find that, with somewhat optimistic assumptions about the cost of wind turbines, the use of wind to serve 50% of demand adds ~1-2¢/kWh to the cost of electricity, a cost comparable to that of...
This article reviews some planning and financial conditions facing wind power development in the UK. Overall the 2002-2003 period has seen a big increase in planning consents. . .
Stewart knows what he's talking about. He's a pro.
The report, authored by leading experts in the field, summarizes the potential of five sources of renewable energy – wind, hydropower, biomass, geothermal and solar. It analyzes the economic...[more]
A much anticipated update on wind turbines and birds in California's Altamont Pass concludes that the problem is more severe than once believed. The report by biologists Carl Thelander and Sean...[more]
Ion Paraschivoiu is Aeronautical Chair Professor at École Polytechnique de Montréal and he brings to the cornucopia of new books on wind energy his specialty: Darrieus turbines. Like David Spera in...[more]
It's been many years since the publication of new engineering texts on wind energy. But in 2001 a flood of new books in English began flowing from publishers: two substantial volumes by John Wiley &...[more]
The Wind Energy Handbook is one of a trio of big wind energy books by John Wiley & Sons'UK office. After a dearth of new wind energy titles in English for nearly a decade, suddenly there are two...[more]
Winds of Change by Rinie van Est is a masterly work of meticulous research that could well become a classic in its field. It should be required reading for all energy planners, and energy industry...[more]
The book, edited by Robert Gasch, began as course notes for Gasch's popular course on wind turbine design for engineering students at the Technische Universität in Berlin. Many of the book's 15...[more]
"Free, and Still too Expensive" opens Molenaar's doctoral thesis on designing variable speed wind turbines. Molenaar's work is not for the faint of heart. Much of it is well beyond my skill level....[more]
Gipe has condensed more than two decades of working with and writing about wind energy into Wind Power: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, and Business. An extensive revision of his successful earlier...[more]
Adapted from the book Wind Power: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, and Business. When I wrote my first book on wind energy in 1982, I believed most homeowners with a modicum of tool skills...[more]
The Measurement of Low Frequency Noise at Three UK Wind Farms--Of the 126 wind farms operating in the UK, five have been reported low frequency noise problems. Therefore, such complaints are the...
On October 16, 2003 a 25-year old technician fell inside a 100-meter tall Enercon E66 tower, struck his head, and died according to an account in a local German newspaper. The man, unnamed in the...[more]
December 8, 2003 by Paul Gipe For an explantion of the following chart see the article on measuring power curves. Though some of the turbines do not meet their manufacturer's advertised power...[more]
Only two dead birds were found, one in spring and one in autumn. . . The rate of mortality is absolutely insignificant when compared to the thousands that are killed each year in Toronto at tall...
Note: The Sierra Club is a grass roots or member-driven environmental organization in the United States founded by the naturalist John Muir. It has about 700,000 members nationwide. The Club has...[more]
Simple Rules for Small Wind Turbine Design by Michael Klemen used with permission. [more]
Specifications of Small Wind Turbines at Wulf Test Field Rotor Swept Rated Number Approx. Tip Speed Tip Speed Turbine Dia. Area Power of rpm m/s Ratio m m2 W Blades @ 8 m/s @ 10...[more]
Cruising World Noise Measurements Turbines Rotor Swept Rated SPL* Tested Dia. Area Power @11 knots m m2 W dBA Rutland 913 0.91 0.65 70 75 Ampair 100 0.92 0.66 50 78 Air 403 1.17 1.08...[more]
Summary of Small Wind Turbine Noise Measurements at Wulf Test Field in dBA Hub Reference Slant Sound Projected Projected Turbine Height Position Distance SPL Power 100 to 45...[more]
Comparison of Noise from Small & Selected Medium-Size Wind Turbines ECN/Van der Borg Difference Turbine Rotor Swept Rated Tip Speed Sound Power Data Projection @ 8 m/s...[more]
Air 403 Ambient Noise. Air 403 Noise. Linear regression trend and data for Air 403 charging a constant load. NREL's Arlinda Huskey notes that the data suggests turbine noise begins to level off...[more]
Ampair 100 Noise Ambient. Ampair 100 Noise Charging. Ampair 100 Noise Unloaded. Ampair 100 Noise Summary. [more]
There was generally good agreement with the measurement of ambient conditions for the three seperate tests. Note that the ambient for the Ampair and Air 403 tests was higher than that for the...[more]
BLM Wind Energy Programmatic EIS Scoping Argonne National Laboratory EAD/900 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439 RE: Scoping Session, November 3, Sacramento, California The following...[more]
BWC 850 Ambient Noise. Linear regression trend and data from one-minute Leq with the turbine parked. Copyright 2001 by Paul Gipe. All rights reserved.[more]
An edited version of this article appeared in the Summer 2003 (Vol. 16, No. 3) edition of WindStats. With 270 people--including New Zealand's minister for energy-- attending the dedication of...[more]
The following article appeared in an edited form in Renewable Energy World's July—August 2003 (Vol. 6 No.4) issue. As turbines grow beyond the 2-MW threshold, it appears that all...[more]
The following article appeared in an edited form in Renewable Energy World's July—August 2003 (Vol. 6 No.4) issue. Windenergie Report Deutschland 2002 by Institut für Solare...[more]
Paul Gipe reports on the latest study of the world wind market by Denmark's BTM Consult.[more]
Gustavo de Marsillac Peña presented the findings from a series of laboratory tests on an Air 403 at the American Wind Energy Association's annual conference this week in Austin, Texas.[more]
After accounting for comparable sales outside the viewshed of the wind farms selected, defined as beyond five miles (8 kilometers) from the turbines, the study found that viewshed property generally...
The following article appeared in an edited form in the Spring 2003 issue of WindStats Newsletter (Vol. 16 No. 2) under the title British lessons to avoid anti-wind conflict—a best practice...[more]
Background Since the first National Energy Act, tax credits have been the mechanism used in the United States to subsidize or stimulate wind energy. Through 1985 the tax credits were based on...[more]
"Wind Energy and Wind Turbines," by Vaughn Nelson and the AEI staff.[more]
Both versions of the AirX monitored at the Wulf Test were qualitatively and quantitatively quieter than the Air 403.[more]
Tests during 2002 at the Wulf Test Field demonstrate that the AirX fails to meet the manufacturer's power curve by a wide margin.[more]
Links to more information on small wind turbines.[more]
Wind turbines in California produce about 1% of the states electricity. The Tehachapi Wind Resource Area accounts for almost half of that. Altogether the turbines in Tehachapi produce enough...[more]
Extensive treatise on the development, manufacture, and use of multiblade, mechanical farm windmills in France during the 19th century.
by Paul Gipe October, 2002 in a posting to awea-wind-home news group. Mike is Michael Klemen, Bos is Ken Bosley. Mike, Am I missing something? I haven't followed this closely and I may have missed...[more]
The Sierra Club has long advocated the expanded use of renewable sources of energy, including wind energy. The Club judges each specific renewable energy project on its merits and may on occasion...[more]
In February, the California Energy Commission issued its long-awaited update on the performance of the state's wind industry. The Wind Performance Report Summary 1996-1999 eliminates some...[more]
Wind Turbines, Aesthetics, & Public Acceptance Whether you love them or hate them, all agree that wind turbines elicit strong reactions, and the potential for conflict will only increase as wind...[more]
False, Misleading and Deceptive Claims Regarding AWEA's Purported Endorsement of WindTree Energy Generator[more]
A description of the Profitability Index Method of setting feed-in tariff rates for wind energy. . .
Presented to the Kegley Institute of Ethics, California State University Bakersfield, 17 October 2001 Let's get this out of the way up front. There are no panaceas, no quick fixes to the state's or...[more]
When the 11th edition of Real Goods' Solar Living Sourcebook landed with a thud on my doorstep, I knew I was in for a treat. L[more]
"We're not a very sophisticated company," Bob Green says humbly. Others agree. The awea-wind-home web site is buzzing with questions about the audacious claims of Green and his company, Thermodyne...[more]
An edited version of the following was read on National Public Radio's Weekend Sunday program. Weekend Edition Sunday Re: Robbie Harris (sp)'s report on Wind Energy for Chicago/Sunday 26 August,...[more]
Doubts about an unusual approach to turbine design have been proven right with the demise of Vortec Energy, launched in 1994 with strong hopes for its diffuser augmented wind turbine (DAWT) design....
Wind turbine company Vortec Energy is being wound up because its project is uneconomic, despite having raised $23 million in the past five years. . .[more]
The announcement this week that Vortec is closing comes as no surprise to Windflow Technology chief executive, Geoff Henderson. Windflow Technology Ltd is raising $3 million to establish local...[more]
While it's difficult and time consuming, author Paul Gipe finds that measuring small wind turbine noise is within the reach of amateurs and asks why manufacturers and national laboratories are not...[more]
American readers will find two sections particularly intriguing: development of wind energy in Germany during the Third Reich, and a critical comparison of the German, U.S., and Danish wind energy...[more]
IV. European Experience IV.A. Denmark and the Danes IV.A.1. Right Product at the Right Place IV.A.2.Dependable Home Market IV.A.3. Nationwide Land Use Planning IV.B. Germany Rises to Prominence...[more]
Timing is everything. And Peter Asmus couldn't have better timed the release of his book about the rise and fall of California's wind industry. Just as California entered its first rolling blackouts...[more]
California's power crisis has proven fertile soil for a new crop of small wind turbines seen sprouting across the state. From Chico in the north to Temecula in the south, from the coast near San Luis...[more]
Like ducted turbines, a perennial favorite of hucksters and charlatans is, for lack of a better word, squirrel cage rotors. [more]
An edited version of this article appeared in a 2001 edition of Renewable Energy World. Paul Gipe examines the latest report from BTM Consult on the world wind energy market. More good news for...[more]
Introduction to all the great names of French wind energy, including Georges Darrieus, Louis Vadot, Louis Constantin, the Duke de Goyon, and Laboratoire Eiffel.
Researchers at Spain's national energy center, CIEMAT, reported on a survey of small wind turbine technology at the European Wind Energy Association special topic conference in Kassel, Germany.[more]
If, by accepting a modest, largely aesthetic change in the landscape, we can heal the earth to this great extent, how in conscience can we not do so? . .
The following article grew out of research for an extensive revision of my book Wind Power for Home & Business published by Chelsea Green. The article is essentially a report on how to test small...[more]
A Memorandum to Colleagues in the U.S. Small Turbine Industry on the Draft Performance Standard AWEA 1.2.2000[more]
La editorial española Progensa ha comenzado a distribuir el libro titulado Energía Eólica Práctica, traducción del texto Wind Energy Basics publicado por Chelsea Green en 1999. Según la editorial,...[more]
In late October I took a brief trip to Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota to visit some of the new wind projects. Here are some observations based on comparing the Midwest projects with...[more]
Simplified one-dimensional arguments lead to predictions of speed-ups of about 2 and power augmentations of about 4, but such power levels have not been observed to date.
(From Systèmes Solaires ~1999-2000) L'industrie éolienne aux Etats-Unis est aujourd'hui en pleine ébullition. En termes de puissance installée, le développement est comparable a celui que l'on a...[more]
Hugh Piggott's plans for turning a used brakedrum into a windmill is welcome addition to the literature on small wind turbines. [more]
Vortec Energy - after spending $5 million on what its chief describes as New Zealand's most expensive "sculpture" - has emerged with new wind-harnessing technology and made its first licensing deal....
An edited version of this article appeared in the Winter 1999 issue of WindStats Newsletter (Vol. 12, No. 1). The accompanying tables report data on the performance of Enron Wind Development Corp.'s...[more]
An edited version of this article appeared in the Summer 1999 (Vol. 12, No. 3) edition of WindStats. For access to the tables and statistics mentioned in the text, please see the hard copy version...[more]
An edited version of the following article appeared in the Autumn 1999 (Vol. 12, No. 4) edition of WindStats. The latest in a series of annual reports on a German test program opens a public window...[more]
Franco Muzzio Editore, an imprint of Editori Riuniti, has published an Italian translation of Wind Energy Basics, a book on small and household-size wind turbines. Elettricità al vento: Impianti di...[more]
The wind power industry has been transformed in the 1990s by dramatic breakthroughs in efficiency, economy, and adaptability. Wind Energy Basics is the most up-to-date source available of information...[more]
An edited version of this article appeared in the February 1999 issue of New Energy and in French in the January-February 1999 issue (No. 129) of Systèmes Solaires. It has been 14 years since the...[more]
Having been disparaged as a "Cassandra," I was reluctant to read a book on the topic, especially one with a subtile about optimism. "Oh no," I thought, "another enviro bashing book catering to...[more]
Wind energy is booming. Not since the heyday of the American farm windmill has wind energy grown at such a dramatic pace. By the new millennium, more than 40,000 medium-size wind turbines will be in...[more]
Windiger Protest (Bochum, Germany: Ponte Press, 1998) is a powerful little book edited by Franz Alt, Jürgen Claus, and Hermann Scheer. It sandwiches 189 pages packed with a documented defense of wind...[more]
This article is dated. For the most current statistics on wind development worldwide, contact BTM Consult and order a copy of their World Market Update. Abstract An overview of wind development...[more]
The most common technique here in the United States is to raise the tilt-up towers with a truck or tractor. I’ve never been a fan of this approach and I’ve long wondered if there is a better way....
The World Renewable Energy Congress hailed long-time wind energy advocate Paul Gipe as a "pioneer in renewable energy" at its recent international conference in Florence, Italy. The designation, one...[more]
My thanks to everyone on the awea-wind-home list for your help raising the BWC 850. Sunday 21 June, Nancy and I lowered the turbine with the griphoist. (Because we will be traveling for the next five...[more]
The text of this guide was written for attendees of Windpower 98 conference in Bakersfield, California. I updated the material in spring 2001.--Paul Gipe Tehachapi is about one hour's drive from...[more]
The New Zealand Wind Energy Association newsletter gives some information about the status of the Vortec 7 project, reports Thomas Ackermann. . .[more]
Note: The following material describes an incident that happened in 1993. This note was originally posted to awea-wind.net. Glenn Cannon presented a paper on the performance of the Z16 at the...[more]
Today Paul Gipe submitted his candidates biography to the American Wind Energy Association for re-election to AWEA's board of directors. In his biography Gipe calls for a dramatic change in AWEA's...[more]
The following appeared in an edited version in an 1998 edition of Windpower Monthly Four busses chocked full of windpower devotees, some 200 in all, left Windpower 98 in Bakersfield for a tour of...[more]
Those planning wind projects in steep terrain (California, Texas, the northeastern USA, Spain, Italy, France) or those repowering projects in steep terrain (California) should get a copy of North...[more]
This is the first of two reports on wind turbines and aesthetic design. The second is The Landscape Impact and Visual Design of Windfarms by Caroline Stanton. There is also a discussion of aesthetics...[more]
This is the second of two reports on wind turbines and aesthetic design. The other is a Review of Wind Turbines & the Landscape by Frode Birk Nielsen. There is also a discussion of aesthetics in...[more]
Wind energy has come of age as a commercial technology for generating electricity. Wind development is booming. Worldwide sales of wind turbines now exceed $1 billion annually and sales of...[more]
There is a pressing need for an international center to test and demonstrate small wind turbines. In contrast to the medium-sized wind turbine industry, which is nearing technical maturity, small...[more]
I was critical of the development of this wind turbine for several reasons: excessive hype, questionable sales of stock, and the aggressive style of the company's promoter. [more]
AS WIND turbine generator Vortec Energy gets ready for a 10-city roadshow: to promote its $10m public offering an overseas expert has warned small investors to steer clear, saying the company's...[more]
Attempt by Vortec to rebut their critics.[more]
Despite the questions and scepticism, hopes for the new machine remain high, with Vortec predicting that the full-scale machines will produce electricity at about 4 cents/kWhr, or about half that of...
Since 1996 we have a "new" old, huge, new-fangled saurian, a device erected in New Zealand. . .
An edited version of this article appeared in the Spring 1997 issue of WindStats Newsletter (Vol. 10, No. 2). With signs that repowering may finally be getting underway, removal and restoration...[more]
The following text was posted to awea-windnet on 2/20/97. This monitored news group is hosted by the American Wind Energy Association.--Paul Gipe Note: I am posting the following policy statement...[more]
Romtvedt struck a chord with me and I found myself reading this fine book through in one sitting. [more]
Finally, something to supplant Michael Hackleman's aging classic Wind and Windspinners. [more]
The publisher of Windpower Monthly and WindStats Newsletter, Forlaget Vistoft, has published 1997 Glossary of Wind Energy Terms. The 100 page paperback by Paul Gipe and Bill Canter is the most...[more]
Since 1997 Paul Gipe and Nancy Nies have used the site to gain experience installing and operating small wind turbines, to measure small turbine performance and noise emissions, and to experiment...[more]
Conclusion of Sandia's design development contract for FloWind's EHD Vertical Axis Wind Turbine. . .
Gesselschaft für Windenergie to become the Bundesverband Wind Energie (German Wind Turbine Owners Association) since this article was written. In April 1996, the German wind energy association for...[more]
The third printing of the 1993 book "Windkraftanlagen" (Wind Turbines) was issued by B.G. Teugner of Stuttgart in the spring of 1996. The book, edited by Robert Gasch, began as course notes for...[more]
With the completion of this wind plant, events have come full circle. The flow of visitors seeking information about wind energy has reversed. The intellectual, technical, and may I say "moral"...[more]
Kenetech Windpower (U.S. Windpower), one of the world's largest wind companies, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 1996. Below is a list of references to U.S. Windpower (Kenetech Windpower) in...[more]
L'énergie éolienne, aujourd'hui viable sur le plan commercial, peut combler une partie importante des besoins énergétiques. . .[more]
"The free benefit of the wind ought not be denied to any man." [more]
An early example of Der Spiegel's anti-renewables stance.[more]
Note: This critique was originally written in 1996. Little has changed since then except on the former FloWind site as noted. Gullies such as that in these photos conveys a callous disregard for...[more]
Ville de Quebec, Quebec, Canada
The special topic conference was held in Helsinki Finland 5-7 September, 1995 by the European Wind Energy Association in collaboration with the Finnish Wind Power Association. For a good perspective...[more]
These comments were posted to awea-windnet and subsequently noise from the AWT 26 was abated. Eventually the turbines were removed when the manufacturer ceased operation. The installation of a...[more]
An edited version of this article appeared in WindStats Vol 8 No 4, (Autumn 1995). Data from the California Energy Commission's Wind Project Performance report annual summaries for 1985 through 1994...[more]
An edited version of this article appeared in Vol 8 No 4, (Autumn 1995) "If there are any performance benefits to variable speed, they are difficult to find" says WindStats' contributing editor Paul...[more]
Préparé par Paul Gipe et Nancy Nies le 11 mai 1995 Résumé Un aperçu sur l'exploitation de l'énergie éolienne en Amérique du Nord et en Europe: capacité installée, production, performance et...[more]
Surveys point to broad support for wind energy despite vocal objections to some projects.[more]
The following paper was presented at the American Wind Energy Assoc. conference in Washington, DC March 30, 1995. ABSTRACT Opinion surveys show that wind has high public support, but a worrisome...[more]
The Guide discusses how landowners can evaluate their wind resources, how they can evaluate the economics of wind power under a variety of development scenarios, and the contractual issues a...[more]
Jules Verne's long lost novel "Paris in the 20th Century" contains an interesting passage on windmills by the father of science fiction. Set in the 1960s, a mere 100 years into the future when Verne...[more]
John Wiley & Sons, Inc New York (1995) Never again will wind energy be seen as the domain of a disheveled miller with corn flour in his hair, furling the cloth sails on his wooden windmill. This...[more]
An edited version of this article appeared in WindStatsVol 8 No 1, (1st Quarter 1995) Portions of this article were adapted from Wind Energy Comes of Age Copyright 1995 by John Wiley & Sons. All...[more]
Excerpted from Wind Energy Comes of Age by Paul Gipe, John Wiley & Sons, Inc New York (1995), pages 361-364, ISBN 0-471-10924-X. This except is provided as public service and can be viewed...[more]
The book, Land of the Living, is based on Borish's study of the Danish folkehøjskol system in the early 1980s. His book is an articulate examination of Danish culture. His theme is that Denmark could...[more]
The following is an editorial (leader) which appeared in Windpower Monthly. Since this editorial appeared the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission disallowed California's bids and all the bids were...[more]
Comments by the American Wind Energy Association on Repowering California's Wind Industry for the California Energy Commission's 1994 Biennial Report[more]
A Real Goods Solar Living Book This book is superseded by Wind Power: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, and Business published in 2004. The new version is not only more up-to-date than the 1993...[more]
The following is an editorial (leader) which appeared in Windpower Monthly. By mid 1996 no wind energy visitor center had been built in California. There are, however, two travellers radio...[more]
The Inventus 5 kW power curve was measured by Windtest Kaiser-Wilhelm-Koog in Germany using 10-minute averages. Though the turbine is rated at 5 kW it produces 4.5 kW at 12 m/s using the 10-minute...[more]
Yes, it's a very old article that just resurfaced at Mother Earth News.
Off-the-shelf parts and simple assembly produce 250 kW at low cost.
