After 4 years in the Air Force, Brandon 

Johnson was seeking a new job. He 

found what he was looking for when 

one possibility—a career as a wind turbine 

service technician—blew him away.

Wind turbine service technicians, also 

called wind techs, repair and maintain the 

complicated machinery inside wind turbines. 

Repairs include everything from fixing circuit 

boards and motors to inspecting turbine 

blades to replacing generator components. 

Maintenance involves more routine tasks, such 

as replacing light bulbs inside the turbine. 

“There’s a lot of variety in the work I do,” 

says Brandon. “No day is the same as the one 

before.”

As the lead technician on a wind farm—

an area where a group of wind turbines produces electricity from wind power—Brandon 

consults an internal Web site to check the status of each of the farm’s turbines. He and the 

site supervisor assign jobs to the other wind 

techs, usually at a morning meeting. With 

roughly 1 technician for every 10 turbines, 

and each turbine containing many intricate 

pieces, there’s a lot of work to be done on the 

farm.

The basic parts of a wind turbine are the 

tower, the blades, and the nacelle. The nacelle 

is a rectangular box resting atop the tower 

that houses the turbine’s gears, drive shaft, 

generator, and other mechanical and electrical 

components. Wind techs service the blades 

or nacelle by entering the turbine through the 

base of the tower and climbing a ladder or 

riding an elevator up through the tower shaft. 

When working outside of the nacelle—repairing the sensors that measure wind speed 

Drew Liming

Drew Liming is 

an economist 

in the Office of 

Occupational 

Statistics and 

Employment Projections, BLS. He 

can be reached 

at (202) 691-5262 

or liming.drew@

bls.gov.

34 Occupational Outlook Quarterly • Fall 2010

Wind turbine

service technician

You’re a ?
and direction, for example—wind techs are 

suspended hundreds of feet in the air. The 

risks of operating at high elevation mean that 

they must take precautions to stay safe on the 

job. Standard safety procedures include ensuring that turbines have been turned off before 

entering them, having at least two technicians 

work together, and requiring that they wear 

gear such as safety harnesses, hardhats, and 

safety goggles.

Other risks may arise from one job to 

another, so the morning meetings at Brandon’s worksite are also used for daily safety 

briefings. Technicians fill out job preparation 

sheets and receive warnings about potential 

hazards so they can plan additional precautions. For example, wind techs scheduled 

to work on high-voltage assignments wear 

special suits for added protection.

Safety isn’t the only concern for most of 

these workers, however. Nacelles are compact, and working in one requires wind techs 

to maneuver in cramped spaces. Technicians 

must also be available to work at all times to 

keep turbines running. Brandon admits that 

the hours can be difficult sometimes. “You’re 

like a doctor—a turbine doctor,” he says, “and 

when you’re on call, even if it’s midnight, you 

have to respond.”

Wind turbine service technicians are 

employed by many different kinds of companies, including energy providers, manufacturers, and project developers. Brandon works for 

a turbine manufacturer that provides turbine 

technicians for a wind farm while the turbines 

are under warranty. He speaks regularly with 

company engineers to troubleshoot problems or to offer design feedback based on his 

observations in the field. Input from experts 

like Brandon helps the manufacturer improve 

its design and keep the turbines running 

smoothly.

Regardless of who their employer is, 

most wind techs work at wind farms in the 

Midwest, Texas, or California. These farms 

are frequently in remote locations, but opportunities exist for wind techs to leave the site 

and travel. Some technicians are attached to 

a specific farm; others travel routinely from 

site to site, staying stationary only for brief 

periods.

Brandon received his training as a wind 

tech through a program at Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville, Iowa. Because 

of the complexity of the electrical and 

mechanical systems inside turbines, prospective wind techs learn about electrical theory, 

motors, generators, and hydraulics. Brandon 

also received hands-on knowledge working on 

school-owned turbines and blades and touring 

manufacturing facilities.

The wind industry is relatively new, so 

there are currently no standard certifications 

for wind turbine service technicians. Completing a training program, like the one Brandon 

attended, should improve jobseekers’ chances 

of getting hired but isn’t always required to 

find work in the occupation. Many companies 

seek new employees who have electrical experience, and they offer on-the-job training to 

instruct technicians in the particulars of wind 

turbines.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does 

not yet collect data for wind turbine service 

technicians. According to anecdotal information, entry-level wind techs earn around $15 

per hour. As they gain more experience, workers can take on more management responsibilities to become lead technicians. These 

technicians, including Brandon, have paperwork and site-safety duties in addition to their 

repair and maintenance work. But experienced 

technicians earn significantly more: up to $50 

an hour.

According to the American Wind Energy 

Association, the amount of energy provided 

by wind turbines grew by 39 percent per 

year from 2004 to 2009. As new turbines are 

constructed, new opportunities for turbine 

technicians should follow.

With career opportunities come chances 

for personal advancement—including the 

occasion to interact with new people in a 

growing global market. “It’s a very diverse 

group,” says Brandon of the wind-energy 

workforce, “and we have a great opportunity 

to learn from each other. Everyone brings different strengths to the industry.”

Fall 2010 • Occupational Outlook Quarterly 35