Wind Turbine Technicians

Wind turbine service technicians, also known as windtechs, maintain and repair wind turbines.

Duties

Wind turbine service technicians typically do the following:

• Assist engineers and ironworkers in installing new wind turbines 
• Inspect the exterior and physical integrity of wind turbine towers
• Climb wind turbine towers to inspect or repair wind turbine equipment
• Perform routine maintenance on wind turbines
• Test and troubleshoot electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic components and systems
• Replace worn or malfunctioning components
• Collect turbine data for testing or research and analysis
• Service underground transmission systems, wind field substations, or fiber optic sensing and control systems

Windtechs maintain and fix the components of wind turbines, large mechanical structures that convert wind energy into electricity. The three major components of each turbine are a tower; a nacelle, which contains the equipment that generates electricity; and three blades attached to the nacelle. Most of a windtech’s work focuses on maintaining the nacelle.

Windtechs typically maintain turbines by inspecting components and lubricating parts. Maintenance schedules are largely determined by the hours a turbine operates but also may vary by manufacturer. For turbines that operate year round, windtechs may do routine maintenance one to three times a year.

Turbines have electronic monitoring equipment, usually located in the nacelle, that provides an alert when a problem is detected. Although windtechs may access monitoring equipment both onsite and off, they must travel to the worksite to make repairs to turbine components.

Windtechs use a safety harness when climbing the tower, which may be 200 feet or higher, to reach the nacelle. They use a variety of handtools and power tools to make adjustments or repairs, and they use computers to diagnose electrical malfunctions.

Wind turbine technicians held about 13,600 jobs in 2024. The largest employers of wind turbine technicians were as follows:

Wind turbine service technicians, also known as windtechs, generally work outdoors, including in extreme temperatures, on rural or offshore wind farms. They must be physically able to work at great heights. For example, workers must climb ladders to reach the nacelle—which is mounted on towers that are more than 200 feet tall—while wearing a fall-protection harness and carrying tools. When repairing blades, windtechs rappel, or descend by sliding down a rope, from the nacelle to the section of the blade that needs servicing.

When maintaining mechanical systems, windtechs work in the confined space of the nacelle.

Windtechs sometimes work with another windtech or with other specialists, such as electricians, when doing major service or repairs.

Work Schedules

Most windtechs work full time, and they also may be on call in the evening or on weekends.

Windtechs may travel to wind farms in rural areas or on offshore wind farms. Working on offshore farms may require being away from home for several days or weeks at a time.

Wind turbine service technicians typically need a postsecondary nondegree award to enter the occupation. They also typically receive on-the-job training.

The median annual wage for wind turbine technicians was $62,580 in May 2024.

Employment of wind turbine technicians is projected to grow 50 percent from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations.

About 2,300 openings for wind turbine technicians are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.