Articles by
Paul Gipe
Martin Frey’s English Language Version of Baedeker Guide to Renewable Energy in Germany
By
Paul Gipe
Martin Frey's wonderful little guidebook to the Energiewende in Germany is now available in English. Germany - Renewable Energy Experience Baedeker Guides. Frey's book is highly recommended for students of renewable energy traveling in Germany.
Battery Degradation Comparison Chevy Bolt EV and Nissan Leaf
By
Paul Gipe
We are approaching the two-year anniversary of leasing a 2017 Chevy Bolt EV. This is a good time to take stock of any degradation in the Bolt's traction battery capacity and how that compares with a 2015 Nissan Leaf we leased previously.
When it doesn’t go Right–Plan B Charging of a Chevy Bolt EV
By
Paul Gipe
Experienced EV drivers always have a Plan B for charging on the road, and for good reason. Charging network reliability, especially for non-Tesla EVs, can be spotty at best even in "green" California. We found this out--again--on a recent 500-mile round trip to the coast.
Update on Sierra Nevada East Side Non-Tesla DCFC Stations
By
Paul Gipe
As noted previously, there are no public non-Tesla EV charging stations on the East Side of the Sierra Nevada from Mojave, California to Gardnerville, Nevada on US 395--a distance of more than 300 miles.
Never a Dull Moment–Shooting on the Bike Path at 6.25 am
By
Paul Gipe
Yep, can't make this stuff up. No one would believe you.
I am Sold: Android Auto & Google Maps are an Essential Tool for the Bolt
By
Paul Gipe
I am a slow learner, but I've come around to Sean Nelson's view that Android Auto is an indispensable tool for the Chevy Bolt EV. Nelson drives a Bolt in Canada's British Columbia province. And he uses Google Maps and Android Auto all the time.
Wanted to Buy Honeywell Windtronics 6500
By
Paul Gipe
Alan Grimsley, Director of Business Development of White Electrical is seeking to buy a Honeywell Windtronics 6500. Grimsley wants the device for experimentation.
Familiarity brings Confidence–300-Mile Day Trip in an EV on a Whim
By
Paul Gipe
My wife Nancy's friend Virginia was visiting. Virginia has a relative she hadn't seen in many years on California's central coast in Arroyo Grande. We have a friend in adjoining Grover Beach. The two coastal towns are about 150 miles from Bakersfield. Nancy asked if we could make a day-trip to the coast in our 2017 Chevy Bolt. "Sure," I said and I jumped at the chance to test the Bolt on a spontaneous day trip outside its 238-mile range.
Weird Wind Turbine Designs
By
Paul Gipe
Vaughn Nelson has pulled together some links to web pages that display either humanity's incredible ingenuity relative to wind energy, or humanity's folly, depending upon your point of view.
Montana WindJammer IV Infomercial
By
Paul Gipe
In another blast from the past, Vaughn Nelson has tracked down a promotional film (now on youtube) from August 1985 of the Windjammer IV sail wing wind turbine. Patterned after Cretan sail windmills, the Windjammer uses sails or "soft airfoils" to drive a large diameter rotor in California's Altamont Pass.
Heidelberg Motor’s VAWT Video
By
Paul Gipe
In research for his new book, Vaughn Nelson is turning up a number of fascinating videos. One he found is a video of Heidelberg Motor's H-rotor operating in Germany. The VAWT was unusual in that the H-rotor drove tthe large ring generator, seen in the video, directly via a torque tube. Later versions installed at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Koog test center placed the ring generator on the rotor hub atop a novel tripod tower. Heidelberg installed five turbines at the test site.
Optiwind Demolition–The Fate of Many Revolutionary Wind Turbines
By
Paul Gipe
In the research for his new book, Vaughn Nelson has been dredging up some amazing videos. (See Hywind Scotland Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Video.)
