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Summary: Gipe does a great job with the pages available
Review: copyright 1999 by Mick SagrilloPaul Gipe's latest book, Wind Energy Basics, was published just this month (June). It is meant to be a companion to two of Gipe's previous publications, Wind Power for Home & Business, and Wind Energy Comes of Age. While Wind Energy Basics is much slimmer than Gipe's prior tomes, this one is dedicated solely to home-sized and micro wind turbines. The text is richly peppered with photographs, schematics, and diagrams, all meant to stimulate the imagination of the reader. While not strictly a "how to" manual, there is enough motivating information included to keep a do-it-yourself wind aficionado busy for years. Gipe begins with the usual chapters on wind fundamentals: power available in the wind, estimating performance, and a brief review of the technology. Of particular value are the photos of the dozens of commercially produced small turbines available from manufacturers worldwide. While pictures of these turbines can be found elsewhere, they rarely appear with actual people in them. Gipe's photos lend a sense of scale to the reader, helping the novice get some idea of exactly what she or he is getting themselves into. Gipe then proceeds to chapters on off-grid applications and utility intertie systems. Again, Gipe does a good job of introducing the reader to what is possible. But because of the detailed complexity of such installations, Wind Energy Basics merely whets the reader's appetite for these topics. Anyone interested in delving deeper into the how's and why's of off-grid and utility intertie installations should proceed to Wind Power for Home & Business. The chapters on siting, safety, and actually making a purchase give the reader a number of good tips worth remembering. My copy of Wind Energy Basics was immediately highlighted and "red-inked" as I went through these sections. There are several tables with realistic costs for the turbines, towers, and balance of system components. Since the book is geared towards the do-it-yourselfer, installation labor costs, the most nebulous cost to pin down in any home wind system, are not included. The chapter on installing a small wind generator focuses on guyed tilt-up towers, ignoring the more usual freestanding or guyed lattice towers used on larger wind turbines. This was judicious on Gipe's part since the widespread use of small wind systems, especially with the off-grid PV (photovoltaic) crowd is inversely related to the height of the tower that needs to be climbed. By including a good photo sequence of his own tilt-up tower installation, Gipe is sure to instill confidence in the installation of a wind system by the most squeamish of non-climbers. Finally, the appendices, unlike those of many other renewable energy books, are actually full of useful information. Gipe details the design characteristics of dozens of small and micro wind generators. In addition, all of the manufacturers contact information is listed, saving the reader hours of hunting for addresses, phone and fax numbers, plus web sites and e-mail addresses. Limited to only 122 pages, Wind Energy Basics is unfortunately restricted in what it can present to the reader. However, Gipe does a great job with the pages available. While I've only had Wind Energy Basics for two weeks, I've already gone through it three times. Wind Energy Basics is definitely worth adding to your summer reading list whether you are planning on installing a small wind system in the near future or just interested in knowing more about micro turbines.
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Summary: Small Wind Power Generation - A Good Overview
Review: From an individual's viewpoint (as opposed to an electrical utility), this is an excellent introductory text. I was surprised at how clearly presented the material was, while still mantaining enough of the technical formulas and rules-of-thumb to have substance. Mr. Gipe lays out the options open to anyone interested in implementing some sort of home-based electrical generation wind system and surveys a range of available products that fall into this area of the wind turbine market. Important decision-making parameters are discussed and the reader is given a good ball-park idea of how to proceed. I will be ordering the book "Wind Power For Home And Business" in order to fill in some of the details.
Rating:
Summary: Small Wind Power Generation - A Good Overview
Review: From an individual's viewpoint (as opposed to an electrical utility), this is an excellent introductory text. I was surprised at how clearly presented the material was, while still mantaining enough of the technical formulas and rules-of-thumb to have substance. Mr. Gipe lays out the options open to anyone interested in implementing some sort of home-based electrical generation wind system and surveys a range of available products that fall into this area of the wind turbine market. Important decision-making parameters are discussed and the reader is given a good ball-park idea of how to proceed. I will be ordering the book "Wind Power For Home And Business" in order to fill in some of the details.
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Summary: Title misled me
Review: I'm sure this is a wonderful book. However, I, rather ignorantly, was expecting "small" and "micro" to actually mean small and micro! These are still huge systems on towers three times the height of a house! I'm glad it was just a library book, because I feel the title doesn't accurately describe the book.
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Summary: Essential reading for alternative energy enthusiasts.
Review: In Wind Energy Basics, Paul Gipe provides the reader with an informative and easy-to-understand guide to small and micro wind systems for the generation of energy. Gipe includes detailed information on planning, purchasing, siting, and installing a wind system, and explains the integration of wind power with solar photovoltaics for more cost-effective and reliable off-the-grid applications. Gipe also explains "net metering" and intertie possibilities, describing how homeowners and businesses in may states can now sell their excess electricity back to the utility company. Wind Energy Basics is a "must" for environmentally supportive advocates seeking to establish non-polluting energy resources for themselves, their families, and their businesses.
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Summary: Reviewed by Trevor Robotham of Sun Wind And Power SWAP
Review: It has been a pleasure reading such a clear and optimistic book on one of my favourite subjects Wind Energy. Paul Gipe has over 20 years experience in the wind Industry both as a practitioner and a commentator. This is evident in the no-nonsense way he covers the various aspects of wind systems for the small user. This book is a wonderful primer for all but the professional wind enthusiast; in which case the companion volume Wind Energy for Home and Business (1993) weighing in at over 400 pages is the book of choice. The book covers everything from the fundamentals of wind energy; including lots of maths; through to the actual installation, operation and maintenance of the authors own wind system. In between are chapters on estimating the performance of the proposed wind system, on and off the grid applications and off course what to look for in buying a wind turbine for your home, weekender or boat. A very important chapter has been included on siting and safety. After all what is the point of having an environmentally responsible wind system if it is behind a tree or if you injure or kill yourself trying to install or operate the thing? Through out the book the reader is constantly treated to excellent photographs from the authors extensive global travels with his wife and companion Nancy Nies in search of wind turbines. You have access to the inside of manufacturing premises and to the top and bottom of towers and wind turbines around the world. In conclusion I commend this book to anyone who has an interest in the environment or Renewable Energy. Wind is the perfect companion to Solar Power and together they are changing the future for the better.
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