Wind Energy Basics

Wind Energy Basics, Book by Paul Gipe

In 1999, Wind Energy Basics introduced micro and mini wind turbines and explained how to install and use them. This version introduces the concept of "community wind" where groups of people invest in large wind turbines that produce commercial quantities of electricity for sale to the grid. While a seemingly novel concept in North America, it is quite common in Denmark, and Germany, and increasingly so in France. In community wind, farmers, small businesses, and groups of community-minded citizens band together to develop-for profit--"their" wind resources. It's as if they're saying, "Renewable energy is far too important to be left to the electric utilities alone. We have a responsibility for our own future. We can and will develop our own wind resources for our own benefit and for the benefit of our communities." By proving that it can be done, Germans and Danes have served as models for us in North America.