Articles by
Paul Gipe
EV Efficiency: Miles per Gallon of Gasoline Equivalent
By
Paul Gipe
I’ve been telling anyone who will listen, “No one should buy any passenger car that gets less than 100 miles ... Read more
Nyckelharpa Concert in Bako
By
Paul Gipe
Our friends organized a group to see a concert dubbed “blue grass and swedish.” The Swedes were bringing their Nyckelharpa. ... Read more
Smith-Putnam Operating Hours and Generation
By
Paul Gipe
“The turbine ran until March 26 when it threw a blade at 3.10 am. During this time it generated 61,780 ... Read more
EVs are Clearly Cleaner, Quieter, and More Fun than Fossil Fueled Vehicles
By
Paul Gipe
Amost nine years ago I wrote a series of articles explaining why we chose to drive electric. These essays were ... Read more
Caltrans Shandon Solar-Powered DCFC Station In Service
By
Paul Gipe
We stopped at Caltrans Shandon rest area on Hwy 46 as part of a road trip from Bakersfield to the ... Read more
Winter Driving & EVs Don’t Work in the Cold Meme
By
Paul Gipe
By now everyone’s heard the January 2024 horror stories from Chicago about how you can’t charge EVs in extreme cold. ... Read more
Update on Murder at DC Fast Charge Station: Trial Date Set
By
Paul Gipe
The trial of Sebastian Parra and Robert Pernell Roberts for the murder of Benny Alcala Jr. at an Electrified America ... Read more
400 GW of Solar PV in 2023!
By
Paul Gipe
Toby Couture of E3 Energy Analytics expects 400GW of solar generating capacity in 2023. The growth of solar PV has been staggering, he says, and presents the following statistics to prove his point. . .
in 2023, the world is adding more than 1GW every. single. day.
New Solar-Powered Level 2 Station in New Cuyama—the Back of Beyond
By
Paul Gipe
Santa Barbara County has installed a new solar-powered level 2 station in New Cuyama.
We first noticed this station at the end of November. It was taped off then and when we passed it again a week later it was still taped off. Both times the indicator on the EVSE suggested the batteries were fully charged. We have no idea why it was taped off. It looked operational.
For those who don’t know, New Cuyama is the back of beyond. It’s on Route 166 that runs east and west, leading from the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley to the coast.
Capacity Factor, Power Ratings, Specific Area, Specific Power, Rated Power, and the Silent Wind Revolution
By
Paul Gipe
I’ve written extensively about the misuse of wind turbine power ratings and why the term “capacity factor” should not be used.[1] In short, don’t use it. There are much better descriptors of wind turbine performance.
Many of the outlandish claims by inventors rely on the improper use of power ratings and capacity factor. It’s easy for unscrupulous promoters to hoodwink the public, the media, and even some engineers with the sleight of hand that “power ratings” and “capacity factors” makes possible.
Wind Power Plants and Wind Farms Definitions
By
Paul Gipe
In recent correspondence with colleagues, I noted the unfortunate reoccurrence of the term “wind parks” to describe wind farms or ... Read more
Wind Power Plants–Description from Wind Energy for the Rest of Us
By
Paul Gipe
Reflecting the concept's newness are the many terms that arose to describe it: wind farms, wind parks, and wind power plants, to name a few. Early on, finding the best nomenclature created a dilemma. On the one hand, advocates wanted a term connoting wind's technological success and its coming of age as a conventional source of electricity, conveyed by the term wind power plant. On the other hand, proponents also wanted to preserve the association with the enlightened land use--the stewardship--that the term wind farm implies.
