Wind energy industry is one of the fastest growing renewable energy industries, and according to most recent estimates wind energy industry employs around one 1.3 million people worldwide, with more than 500,000 of these in China, 300,000 in Europe, and 144,000 in North America.. This number will likely significantly grow in years to come, particularly because offshore wind energy sector has started making first big steps and is set to achieve staggering growth rates in years to come.
The large number of available wind energy training courses offers technical training for an entry-level career as a wind energy technician and because of the rapid growth in the wind power industry there is currently a shortage of trained and qualified wind energy technicians.
Wind turbine technician’s job is to provide maintenance on the turbines so he/she must know how to assemble, maintain, and repair wind turbines. That is the basic description of what a wind energy technician needs to know. It also has to be said that wind energy technicians usually work in small teams in order to regularly service few wind turbines per day.
Having developed mechanical skills makes it lot easier to become wind turbine technician. The person that chooses this profession must also not have the fear of heights because part of his/her job also includes scaling wind towers, and he/she also has to be a very good climber. People with advanced knowledge of electrical and electronic equipment as well as repair experience usually make the best wind energy technicians.
Wind turbine technician training program includes absorbing the knowledge about the electrical power generation industry, safety, mechanics, hydraulic and electrical systems, etc, basically an in-depth knowledge of wind turbines and electrical equipment, electronics and hydraulics.
The salary for wind turbine technicians varies with company, location, industry, experience and benefits. Rookie wind turbine technician should have annual salary of $25,000-$35,000 while highly experienced wind energy technicians could demand annual salary close to $70,000. The median salary of a wind turbine technician in May 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and statistics, was $56,230. Many U.S. states, such as California, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Texas, lack qualified and experienced wind turbine technicians.
Becoming a wind turbine technician is an excellent career opportunity for men and women that offer not only respectable salary but also very interesting everyday job, especially as wind power technologies are constantly developing meaning you’ll have to constantly adapt your knowledge to these new technologies.
Wind turbine technician job description and salary
