Essays & Other Articles

This section archives articles and essays on topics that don’t quite fit into the other categories on energy. They include articles on high-mileage vehicles, chain-reaction accidents, our neighbors, Tule fog, and . . . well . . . other subjects.

Shoulder Surgery—Yep, Sometimes It’s Needed

By

Paul Gipe

This may be more than you want to know. I had my doubts about my upcoming surgery for a torn rotator cuff. It had been six months since I injured myself and I was beginning to think that maybe I didn’t need surgery. After all, when asked about my pain I said it was zero. My shoulder seldom hurt except when I did something wrong. I made an effort not to do those things. You learn pretty quickly what not to do to avoid pain.

Preben Maegaard, former managing director of the Nordic Folkecenter for Renewable Energy and one of the pioneers in the Danish wind revival, stands by the root end of one of the original Tvind blades. The blade is part of the Danmarks Vindkrafthistoriske Samling collection of historic Danish wind turbines and components and can be seen at the Folkecenter near Hurup, Denmark. The 27-meter (89-foot) long blade weighs 5,200 kg (11,500 lbs). Note the blade flange where it mounts to the hub. The flange and the technique for attaching the fiberglass in the blade to the flange were originally developed by Ulrich Hütter in the 1950s and 1960s. Tvind adapted the technique to its wind turbine in 1975 and the rest is history.

Preben Maegaard—the Father of the Folkecenter–Has Died

By

Paul Gipe

Preben Maegaard died 25 March 2021. He was 84. His death likely won’t mean much to most North Americans. After all he wasn’t a household name like reality TV stars Caitlyn Jenner or Kanye West. It should.

Message at the checkout counter of a local hardware store. September 2020.

We apologize for any inconvenience

By

Paul Gipe

Times are hard. Covid-19 stalks the land. People are out of work. Homelessness is rising. Politics is splitting the country apart. And now this!

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2020 Democratic Party Platform on Renewable Energy

By

Paul Gipe

The campaign for President of the United States is in full swing. We’ve endured two–mostly virtual–national party conventions. (Full disclosure: I didn’t watch either.) And the parties have issued the platforms on which they will campaign.

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Report of My Death is Greatly Exaggerated

By

Paul Gipe

The Daily Examiner, part of the Murdoch News Corp empire in New South Wales, reported my demise on 13 August.

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Covid-19: Back with a Vengeance–National Guard Called in

By

Paul Gipe

It’s bad here. How bad is it? California’s National Guard was called in to help area hospitals handle the flood of Covid-19 patients, reports the Bakersfield Californian.