Green Jobs Series: Careers in Wind Energy [Installment 4]

In today’s fourth and final installment on careers in wind energy, we will focus on the emerging green occupation of wind turbine service technician. Also known as "wind techs," these technicians are responsible for keeping the turbines running efficiently.

Wind Turbine Service Technicians

Many different companies employ wind turbine service technicians, including original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and businesses that specialize in providing turbine maintenance services to wind farm owners.

Job Duties

Wind techs are responsible for both regular maintenance and performing complicated repairs of wind turbines. On the top of turbines they perform periodic equipment inspections, sensor calibration, cleaning, and unscheduled repairs of malfunctioning components.

The average workday of wind techs is spent climbing and inspecting multiple turbines. Technicians work a schedule that rotates which turbines need to be inspected or maintained. Any problems they notice during the examination are reported and scheduled for repair.

Education and Training

The wind energy industry is relatively young, so there is no one way to be trained as a wind tech. Wind techs need to have mechanical skills and the aptitude to understand how a turbine functions, so some wind techs come from technician jobs in other industries. Experience or training as an electrician also is beneficial.

As formal training programs are developed, employers are placing more emphasis on wind-specific education. Educational institutions—specifically, community colleges and technical schools—are beginning to offer 1-year certificate and 2-year degree programs in wind turbine maintenance. In certificate programs, students take classes in basic turbine design, diagnostics, control and monitoring systems, and basic turbine repair. For a 2-year associate degree, students complete the aforementioned types of classes in addition to general-education courses. Some programs also give students hands-on training and practice on school-owned turbines and machinery.

Earnings

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not currently have earnings data for wind turbine service technicians. Data should be available in several years. According to industry sources, however, wind techs usually have starting salaries between $35,000 and $40,000. Wages and benefits vary by employer and geographic location.

Job Prospects

Industry sources report that there is currently a shortage of trained wind techs. Because many different companies are competing to hire these workers, the most experienced wind techs can command relatively high salaries.

Next week's green job series installment: Careers in Electric Vehicles

Green Jobs Series: Careers in Wind Energy [Installment 3]

Erecting wind turbines requires the efforts of many skilled workers, such as construction laborers, construction equipment operators, crane operators, and electricians. In today’s green jobs series installment, we will focus on construction jobs in the project development phase of the wind power industry.

Wind Power Construction Jobs

Many development and construction companies use both their own specialized construction workers and local contractors. Under the supervision of more experienced wind-industry workers, local construction firms prepare the site, erect the wind turbines, and connect them to the utility company's power grid.

Job Duties

Construction laborers often work on wind farms as contractors and are responsible for preparing the site and building the surrounding infrastructure. Their work includes clearing trees and debris from the wind farm, cleaning machines, and helping to break up the ground on which the turbine will rest. Construction workers employed by companies that specialize in developing wind farms are sometimes in supervisory roles.

Construction equipment operators, with the help of construction laborers, are responsible for building accessible roads directly to the construction site, helping ensure that the wind turbine components can arrive without damage or delay. They use bulldozers, road graders, and other equipment to set up the construction site.

Crane operators are necessary in building a wind farm because the components are so large. They use their cranes to lift the pieces of the turbine off the trucks as they arrive, as well as stack the tower segments and lift the blades to the hub.

Electricians are needed to get the energy from the turbine's generator to the power grid on the ground. They wire the turbine to connect its electrical system to the power grid.

Education and Training

Although some construction laborer jobs have no specific education or training requirements, some construction workers receive more formal training in the form of apprenticeships. Many construction laborers' skills are learned on-the-job and by assisting more experienced workers.

Construction equipment operators and crane operators learn their skills through on-the-job training, apprenticeships, or, for some, union instruction. In addition, the operators are expected to be certified to operate their equipment.

Most electricians learn their trade through apprenticeship programs that combine on-the-job training with related classroom instruction. Depending on the state, electricians might have to pass an examination that tests their knowledge of electrical theory, as well as national, state, and local electrical and building codes.

Earnings

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have wage data specific to construction occupations that involve working on wind farms. However, the earnings of workers in these occupations are comparable to those of workers in the construction sector as a whole. The earnings in the following table are for workers in the construction of power and communication lines and related structures, which include wind turbines.

Occupation	Median annual wage
Construction laborers	$29,110
Construction equipment operators	$39,530
Crane operators	$47,170
Electricians	$49,800

For more detailed information on wind power construction occupations, follow the Occupational Outlook Handbook link.

Tomorrow's final wind energy series installment: Wind Turbine Service Technicians

Green Jobs Series: Careers in Wind Energy [Installment 2]

In today’s green jobs series installment, we will focus on turbine production jobs in the manufacturing phase of the wind power industry. These occupations include machinists, computer-controlled machine tool operators, assemblers, welders, quality-control inspectors, and industrial production managers. The job duties, skills, and training backgrounds of these workers are similar to those of manufacturing employees in other industries.

Manufacturing—Turbine Production Jobs

Wind turbine production workers may be employed by either OEMs or third-party suppliers. Many factories manufacturing components for wind turbines are located in the Midwest, sometimes in converted auto plants. Some new production facilities are being built in Colorado and Pennsylvania—states that actively pursue the development of wind power. As more wind energy manufacturers open factories in the United States, new job opportunities will be created.

Turbine Production Workers

Job Duties

Producing turbine components that match design specifications is the responsibility of manufacturing workers. Wind companies typically hire people with experience in other industries and give them wind-specific training.

Education and Training

The type of training necessary for these production occupations varies. Many workers are trained on the job and gain expertise with experience. However, some workers in more skilled positions, such as computer-controlled machine tool operators, may be required to attend formal training programs or apprenticeships. A strong mechanical background is necessary to succeed in all of these occupations.

Many industrial production managers have a college degree in business administration, management, industrial technology, or industrial engineering. After they graduate, they usually spend a few months in corporate training, learning company policies and production methods for wind turbine components. Others become industrial production managers by working their way up through the ranks, starting as production workers and then advancing to supervisory positions before being selected for management.

Because of the relative youth of the wind energy industry, it can be difficult to find workers with a background in wind power; many turbine component manufacturers will hire almost any qualified applicants with a related technical background. Experience in the manufacture of large machines can be especially helpful. Workers from other backgrounds can be taught on the job how to apply their manufacturing skills to turbine components.

Earnings

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not currently publish earnings data specific to the wind power industry. The following tabulation, though, shows data for selected production occupations in the engine, turbine, and power transmission equipment manufacturing industry group, which includes wind turbine component manufacturing. Of course, wages vary by employer and location.

Occupation	Median annual wage
Machinists	$41,480
Computer-controlled machine tool operators	$34,790
Assemblers	$29,320
Welders	$35,920
Quality-control inspectors	$37,500
Industrial production managers	$87,120

For more detailed information on wind turbine production occupations, follow the Occupational Outlook Handbook link.

Next Monday's green job series installment: Occupations in Wind Power—Construction Jobs

Green Jobs Series: Careers in Wind Energy

With the hot winds of summer blowing across the United States, we at The Daily Leap thought it would be fitting to begin a new green job series on high-growth careers in wind power.

Visually identifiable by its characteristic turbines, wind power has been used on an electrical utility scale for only a few decades. However, it is expected to grow more rapidly as demand for renewable energy increases. As the wind energy industry continues to grow, it will provide many opportunities for workers in search of new careers.

Manufacturing—Research and Development Jobs

Occupations in wind power are separated into three phases: manufacturing, project development, and operation and maintenance. However, occupations are not always limited to one phase. For most positions, wind companies hire people with experience in other industries and give them wind-specific training.

In today’s green jobs series installment, we will focus on typical research and development jobs in the manufacturing phase—engineers, including engineering technicians.

Engineers

Job Duties

Engineers in the wind power industry are involved in the design and development of wind turbines. In addition, they also work in testing, production, and maintenance. Engineers may also supervise production in factories, test manufactured products to maintain quality, and troubleshoot design or component problems. They also estimate the time and cost required to complete projects and look for ways to make production processes more efficient.

Education and Training

Engineers typically enter the wind power industry with at least a bachelor's degree in an engineering specialty. However, a significant number of jobs require more education, such as a master's or doctoral degree. In addition, engineers typically are licensed and are expected to complete continuing education to keep current with rapidly changing technology.

Wind turbine manufacturers prefer to hire engineers with 3–5 years of experience in their respective field and knowledge of commonly used systems and processes. Engineers are then given additional training lasting several weeks or months prior to assignment, and then they undergo extensive on-the-job training.

Entry-level engineers may also be hired as interns or junior team members and work under the close supervision of more senior engineers. As they gain experience and knowledge, they are assigned more difficult tasks and given greater independence.

Certifications are usually required, depending on the systems used by a particular manufacturer. Licensure as a professional engineer (PE) is desirable, but is not required for many wind turbine manufacturers. Engineering technicians typically have an associate's degree or a certificate from a community college or technical school.

Earnings

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not currently publish earnings data specific to the wind power industry, but earnings for engineers are comparable to earnings for engineers in general. The following tabulation shows annual wages for engineers in selected specialties.

Occupation	Median annual wage
Aerospace engineers	$94,780
Civil engineers	$76,590
Electrical engineers	$83,110
Electronics engineers	$89,310
Environmental engineers	$77,040
Health and safety engineers	$74,080
Industrial engineers	$75,110
Materials engineers	$83,190
Mechanical engineers	$77,020
Engineering technicians	$50,130

Earnings are dependent on a number of factors, such as experience, education and training, licensure and certifications, the size and type of company, geographic location, and the complexity of the work.

For more detailed information on wind energy engineering occupations, follow the Occupational Outlook Handbook link.

Tomorrow’s series installment: Occupations in Wind Power—General Manufacturing Jobs