Paul Gipe on the Wind Energy Industry

Flanigan's Eco-Logic

In this episode of Flanigan’s Eco-Logic, Ted speaks with Paul Gipe, an author, advocate, and analyst of the renewable energy industry. Paul is a world renowned wind power expert, and has written extensively about the subject for the past four decades, receiving numerous awards for his efforts. Gipe has lectured before groups from Patagonia to Puglia, from Tasmania to Toronto, and from Halifax to Husum. He has spoken to audiences as large as 10,000 and as small as a private presentation for Vice President Al Gore. He is also passionate about electric vehicles and writes about his experience driving EVs.

Through his website, Gipe is well known for his frank appraisal of the promise and pitfalls of wind energy, including his stinging critiques of internet wonders and the hustlers and charlatans who promote them. His most recent book, Wind Energy for the Rest of Us, is Gipe’s seventh book on wind energy. In it, he debunks novel wind turbines, rebukes revisionist historians, and argues that renewable energy is too important to be left to electric utilities.

Gipe’s interest in wind energy grew out of his wish to limit the environmental effects of conventional energy sources, particularly those of coal and nuclear power. He contributed to the seven-year struggle for passage of the National Surface Mining Act, which regulates the strip mining of coal in the United States. As part of that effort, Gipe co-authored Surface Mining, Energy, and the Environment and was invited to the White House by President Jimmy Carter for the signing ceremony.

He and Ted discuss the wind energy industry at large, highlighting technological advancements in design, commercial vs. residential uses, offshore "floaters" vs. on land turbines, and solar vs. wind cost efficiency. They also share their love for driving EVs.