About This Career

Inspects, diagnoses, adjusts, or repairs wind turbines. Performs maintenance on wind turbine equipment including resolving electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic malfunctions.

This career is part of the Manufacturing cluster Maintenance, Installation and Repair pathway.

A person in this career:

• Troubleshoots or repairs mechanical, hydraulic, or electrical malfunctions related to variable pitch systems, variable speed control systems, converter systems, or related components.
• Performs routine maintenance on wind turbine equipment, underground transmission systems, wind fields substations, or fiber optic sensing and control systems.
• Diagnoses problems involving wind turbine generators or control systems.
• Tests electrical components of wind systems with devices, such as voltage testers, multimeters, oscilloscopes, infrared testers, or fiber optic equipment.
• Starts or restarts wind turbine generator systems to ensure proper operations.
• Climbs wind turbine towers to inspect, maintain, or repair equipment.
• Maintains tool and spare parts inventories required for repair, installation, or replacement services.
• Tests structures, controls, or mechanical, hydraulic, or electrical systems, according to test plans or in coordination with engineers.
• Trains end-users, distributors, installers, or other technicians in wind commissioning, testing, or other technical procedures.
• Collects turbine data for testing or research and analysis.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 20 lbs., sometimes up to 50 lbs. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
• Work in this occupation involves keeping or regaining your balance more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves bending or twisting your body more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation requires climbing things such as ladders, scaffold, and poles more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Requires getting into awkward positions
• Lighting is either extremely bright or inadequate
• Conditions are very hot (above 90 F) or very cold (under 32 F)
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Exposed to conditions such as high voltage electricity, combustibles, explosives, and chemicals more than once a month
• Exposed to hazardous equipment such as saws, machinery, or vehicular traffic more than once a month
• Work in this occupation involves kneeling, crouching, stooping, and/or crawling more than one-third of the time
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
• Work in this occupation requires being outside most of the time
• Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves use of special protective items such as a breathing apparatus, safety harness, full protection suit, or radiation protection
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time
• Work at heights above 8 feet more than once a month on structures such as ladders, poles, scaffolding, and catwalks

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Picking out a particular sound in the presence of other sounds
• Maintaining a body position that prevents falling when in an unstable position
• Using muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring
• Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching
• Seeing clearly at a distance
• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person
• Exerting oneself physically over long periods of time without getting out of breath
• Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying objects
• Using abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring

Work Hours and Travel

• Irregular hours
• Weekend work