A Day-in-the-life of a Wind Turbine Technicians
Jeremiah Dye: Wind Turbine Service Technician and Instructor for the Wind Turbine Technician Program at Danville Area Community College (DACC) said: The day-in-the-life of a wind turbine technician can vary. I often tell people your part electrician, part mechanic, and part monkey. Some days you may be doing oil changes, you may be changing filters, and other days you may just be testing the bolts to make sure that none of them have shaken loose. Most towers today are anywhere between 267’ to 305’ to hub height.
Jeff Lancaster: Member Service Technician, Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative said: Current off and turn and into the service mode turned on the outside. Ok, now it’s ready for climbing.
Jeremiah Dye said: All climbing on commercial grade turbines are done inside the tower on an aluminum ladder with a cable safety system.
Jeff Lancaster This is the hub that you’re looking at now. This is the rotator. Basically inside each blade has its own control panel. Here is blade 1, 2, and 3.
Jeremiah Dye said: Technicians have to have a great mechanical aptitude. They have to understand electricity at its base form.
The training programs that people need to look at in this field are programs that give them a 2-year Associate’s Degree. They need to master programmable controllers, digital electronics, hydraulics, pneumatics, and basic maintenance classes as well as technical writing and communication skills
For the wind training technician program here at DACC they are required to complete a 240-hour internship on site. This often allows them the opportunity to prove themselves to a company that after they get their degree can move right into a job. Most companies will even make that job offer towards the end of internship so that they have something to work towards during the class time.
There is an initiative to have 20% of our energy come from wind by the year 2025. By 2015 they’re figuring that they are only going to have only 50% of workforce required to maintain turbines that are on line today not including the ones that are going to be constructed tomorrow.
Turbine technicians, they can earn anywhere between $45,000 to $60,000 starting off in the field with an Associate’s Degree. If you’re willing to travel and do retrofitting and construction, there’s another added $45,000 - $60,000 a year that can be made.
One of the rewards of being a wind energy technician is that you can kind of get to walk around with shoulders held high proud of what you do.
You realize you’re making impacts for the community and for the environment that are going to benefit people in the long term. Besides my paycheck, besides being able to take care of my family, I’m also able to take care of my community and the nation at large just by doing my daily work activities.