Wind Power, Revised Edition: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, and Business [Paperback]

Paul Gipe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004

In the wake of mass blackouts and energy crises, wind power remains a largely untapped resource of renewable energy. It is a booming worldwide industry whose technology, under the collective wing of aficionados like author Paul Gipe, is coming of age. Wind Power guides us through the emergent, sometimes daunting discourse on wind technology, giving frank explanations of how to use wind technology wisely and sound advice on how to avoid common mistakes.

Since the mid-1970s, Paul Gipe has played a part in nearly every aspect of wind energy’s development—from installing small turbines to promoting wind energy worldwide. As an American proponent of renewable energy, Gipe has earned the acclaim and respect of European energy specialists for years, but his arguments have often fallen on deaf ears at home.

Today, the topic of wind power is cropping up everywhere from the beaches of Cape Cod to the Oregon-Washington border, and one wind turbine is capable of producing enough electricity per year to run 200 average American households. Now, Paul Gipe is back to shed light on this increasingly important energy source with a revised edition of Wind Power.

Over the course of his career, Paul Gipe has been a proponent, participant, observer, and critic of the wind industry. His experience with wind has given rise to two previous books on the subject, Wind Energy Basics and Wind Power for Home and Business, which have sold over 50,000 copies. Wind Power for Home and Business has become a staple for both homeowners and professionals interested in the subject, and now, with energy prices soaring, interest in wind power is hitting an all-time high.

With chapters on output and economics, Wind Power discloses how much you can expect from each method of wind technology, both in terms of energy and financial savings. The book’s updated models, graphics, and weighty appendixes make it an invaluable reference for everyone interested in the emerging trend of wind power and renewable energy.

Executive Director of the American Wind Energy Association Randall Swisher has said, "In the last two decades, no one has done more that Paul Gipe to bring wind energy to the public’s attention."

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

In the wake of mass blackouts and energy crises, wind power remains a largely untapped resource of renewable energy. It is a booming worldwide industry whose technology, under the collective wing of aficionados like author Paul Gipe, is coming of age. Wind Power guides us through the emergent, sometimes daunting discourse on wind technology, giving frank explanations of how to use wind technology wisely and sound advice on how to avoid common mistakes.

Since the mid-1970s, Paul Gipe has played a part in nearly every aspect of wind energy’s development—from installing small turbines to promoting wind energy worldwide. As an American proponent of renewable energy, Gipe has earned the acclaim and respect of European energy specialists for years, but his arguments have often fallen on deaf ears at home.

Today, the topic of wind power is cropping up everywhere from the beaches of Cape Cod to the Oregon-Washington border, and one wind turbine is capable of producing enough electricity per year to run 200 average American households. Now, Paul Gipe is back to shed light on this increasingly important energy source with a revised edition of Wind Power.

Over the course of his career, Paul Gipe has been a proponent, participant, observer, and critic of the wind industry. His experience with wind has given rise to two previous books on the subject, Wind Energy Basics and Wind Power for Home and Business, which have sold over 50,000 copies. Wind Power for Home and Business has become a staple for both homeowners and professionals interested in the subject, and now, with energy prices soaring, interest in wind power is hitting an all-time high.

With chapters on output and economics, Wind Power discloses how much you can expect from each method of wind technology, both in terms of energy and financial savings. The book’s updated models, graphics, and weighty appendixes make it an invaluable reference for everyone interested in the emerging trend of wind power and renewable energy.

Executive Director of the American Wind Energy Association Randall Swisher has said, "In the last two decades, no one has done more that Paul Gipe to bring wind energy to the public’s attention."

About the Author

Paul Gipe has written extensively about renewable energy for both the popular and trade press. He has also lectured widely on wind energy and how to minimize its impact on the environment and the communities of which it is a part. For his efforts, the World Wind Energy Association presented Gipe with their World Wind Energy Award in 2008, the World Renewable Energy Congress honored him as a "pioneer" in 1998, and the American Wind Energy Association named him as the industry's "person of the year" in 1988.

His most recent book, Wind Energy Basics: A Guide to Home- and Community-Scale Wind Energy Systems was published by Chelsea Green in May, 2009.

Gipe's book Wind Power: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, & Business is available in both hardback and paperback and is published in French as Le Grand Livre de l'Eolien by les éditions du Moniteur.

In 2004, Gipe served as the acting executive director of the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association where he created, managed, and implemented a provincial campaign for Advanced Renewable Tariffs. The campaign sought to adapt electricity feed laws to the North American market and was instrumental in placing the European concept on the political agenda in Canada and the United States.

Gipe first publicly called for a feed law in the US in his campaign for the board of directors of the American Wind Energy Association in 1998.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing; Revised and updated second edition edition (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931498148
• ISBN-13: 978-1931498142
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.3 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #270,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul Gipe has worked with wind energy since 1976. His experience with the technology runs the gamut from measuring wind resources to installing residential wind turbines. Gipe is best known for his advocacy of wind energy and for his articles and books on the subject. Through his writing and public speaking, Gipe has sought to popularize the use of wind energy worldwide. In 1998 the World Renewable Energy Congress designated Gipe a "pioneer in renewable energy," one of the group's highest honors.

In 2004, Gipe served as the acting executive director of the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association where he created, managed, and implemented a provincial campaign for Advanced Renewable Tariffs. The campaign sought to adapt electricity feed laws to the North American market and was instrumental in placing the European concept on the political agenda in Ontario. Gipe also wrote a report on Ontario's wind potential for the David Suzuki Foundation.

From 1986 to 1994, Gipe represented the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) on the West Coast. He was the executive director of the Kern Wind Energy Association from 1987 to 1995. In 1988, AWEA named him the wind industry's "man of the year," the group's highest honor. He also served on AWEA's board of directors from 1996 to 1998.


Gipe has written six books: Wind Energy: How To Use It (Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1983), Wind Power for Home & Business (White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green, 1993), Wind Energy Comes of Age (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1995), Glossary of Wind Energy Terms (Knebel, Denmark: Folaget Vistoft, 1997), Wind Energy Basics (White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green, 1999), and Wind Power: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, and Business (White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green, 2004). Wind Energy Basics was translated into Spanish under the title EnergÄîa Eelica Pr°ctica (Seville, Spain: Progensa, 2000) and translated into Italian under the title of Elettricit° dal Vento (Rome: Franco Muzzio Editore, 2002).


Wind Energy Comes of Age was selected by the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, for its list of outstanding academic books in 1995.

Gipe contributed a chapter to Guide de L'ânergie âolienne (Paris: Collection Etudes et Fili©res, 1998), and co-authored a chapter in Wind Turbine Technology (New York: ASME Press, 1994). He was the principal contributor to the Izaak Walton League's Landowner's Guide to Wind Energy in the Upper Midwest. He was one of the lead authors of Wind Power in View: Energy Landscapes in a Crowded World (San Diego: Academic Press, 2002). Gipe has also written numerous articles for both the popular and trade press. His photography has appeared in magazines, books, commercial slide sets, brochures, and posters. He has lectured widely on wind energy in the United States and abroad.

From 1999 to 2003 Gipe measured the performance and noise emissions from small wind turbines at the Wulf Test Field in the Tehachapi Pass. The results of his tests have been published in WindStats Newsletter and are available on this web site under the section titled Small Wind.

In the early 1980s, Gipe managed a pioneering anemometer loan program in Pennsylvania, and in the early 1990s installed two highway advisory radio stations in California. Gipe's script for one of the transmitters won a 1993 TIMMY award for descriptive interpretation.


Gipe's interest in wind energy grew out of his wish to limit the environmental effects of conventional energy sources, particularly those of coal and nuclear power. He contributed to the seven-year struggle for passage of the National Surface Mining Act, which regulates the strip mining of coal in the United States. As part of that effort, Gipe co-authored Surface Mining, Energy, and the Environment.

While a student at Ball State University, Gipe contributed to a citizens' group that successfully petitioned the Indiana Legislature to ban the sale of phosphate detergents. He graduated with an interdisciplinary degree in Natural Resources.

Gipe has modeled the noise and air quality impacts of proposed highway and mass transit projects in Pennsylvania, studied the geohydrologic impact of strip mining in Montana, evaluated water pollution in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and represented the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Sierra Club before the Pennsylvania state legislature. He is a past member of the Sierra Club's technical advisory team on energy, and past chapter chair of the Kern-Kaweah chapter. In 2005, the Kern-Kaweah chapter awarded him the Sierra Club Cup, the chapter's highest honor.

For more information visit wind-works.org.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 88 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars More than you ever thought you'd need to know. August 15, 2004

By John Matlock

Format:Paperback

If there is anything you want to know about using the wind for power you will find it within the almost 500 pages of this book. From the history of using wind mills to pump water to the latest giant sized multi megawatt units, it's here. Want to know about the laws of connecting your wind generating unit to the commercial grid, it's here. Want to know the wind generation potential in the island nation of Vanuatu in the South Pacific or in your own state, it's here (along with URL's to tell you where to get more detailed information. Want a list of magazines, books, manufacturers, or software to help you site the tower, yup, it's here.

Wind power generation has grown significantly since the price of oil has gone up and the extra added costs of polution have become apparent. In the last two decades, wind power system designs have been developed, matured and become a lot more practical than they were only a few years ago. This book is actually the most recent generation of Paul Gipe's books. It's the most complete, the most thoroughly developed of anything on the subject.

58 of 60 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book to Have on Wind Power Systems August 24, 2005

By Keith Kimmel

Format:Paperback

This reviewer was very pleased with the quality and thoroughness of this title. The level of detail presented herein was very helpful in giving the reader a complete picture of whats really involved in putting up, operating and using a wind-based Renewable Energy (RE) system. Very helpful are the many graphs and charts which provide organization and understanding of the numerous technical aspects of the subject.

Some of the often overlooked but very important subjects covered in Wind Power are the: tower installation and tower types, location selection, mounting on RVs, wind turbine design, do-it-yourself wind turbines and how to select a prebuilt wind turbine. All of these subjects and many more are covered in great detail, usually with one or more color photographs to support and demonstrate the author's points.

Wind Power is full of common sense safety tips for the homeowner and also points out some hazards that might not be so readily apparent to the untrained eye. Also included is loads of good advice from start to finish with regard to locating, selecting, purchasing, installing, operating and servicing your wind turbine.

At nearly five hundred pages, Wind Power leaves no stones unturned in its quest to document all aspects of the booming industry of wind-based RE systems. As oil prices continue to soar and citizens continue to search for ways to increase their quality of life (and health of their pocketbook), wind-based RE systems will continue to grow in popularity. Wind Power provides the reader with the opportunity to get ahead of the curve and learn important information not readily available now.

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wind Power, Revised Edition: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, and Business September 16, 2005

By Mr. B. O'LOONEY

Format:Paperback

This is a very practical book for the wind energy enthusiast, thinking of setting up their own wind generator. It has got plenty of advice on the wind generators to buy and the models to avoid. The book has loads of web references, photographs and safety information. All the information in the book is presented in a clear and concise fashion. You don't need an engineering degree to understand this book. Overall I found this book to be a really good reference and well worth the money. I would recommend it to readers interested in renewable energy.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this book before investing in wind power! February 16, 2006

By Frank A. Westgate

Format:Paperback

Unless you already work in the wind industry (and even if you do) this book is invaluable. It contains very detailed information of nearly all aspects of wind power. I've only had this book several weeks and have not yet purchased a wind mill. I especially like the sections on towers, safety and the comparison charts for many models of turbines.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Zero to Sixty (mph) in One Week January 16, 2008

By David Carmein

Format:Paperback

Are you starting from zero knowledge regarding wind energy? Do you want to get up to full speed in a reasonable amount of time? If yes, then this is definitely the book for you. Paul Gipe has captured the essence of not only the fundamental technology but also the industry in general. Once done with this book, you will have the cranial capital to dig deeper into the engineering, the municipal or national scene, or the fundamentals of financing including energy-cash flow analysis. There is plenty of nitty-gritty for whatever side of the technology you prefer to understand, including building your own system. And there are many specific and anecdotal examples to support the many scenarios described. Yours is sure to be one of them. To paraphrase the late Abby Hoffman - *Buy This Book* You'll be up to 60 mph (26.8 meters/second) in no time.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Almost one stop shopping August 2, 2008

By Dirk J. Willard

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Paul Gipe has provided a thoroughly readable text presenting all details necessary for selecting and managing a windfarm. It is clear that he has dedicated his life to this technology.

This text provides charts and equations for sizing windmills. It includes numerous recommendations for selecting vendors and contractors for installing a windmill, and lots of maintenance details. What I found particularly interesting was his descriptions of past failures and why they failed. He warns you of danger signals when buying a windmill such as:

The maximum capacity for generating electricity from a windmill is determined by its rotor not its generator.

I am still in the process of reading this massive text but the first 200 pages have been enlightening. I highly recommend this text for anyone involved in establishing a windfarm for municipalities and others. This is a must read.

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