WTWind Turbine Service Technician
WT
Career

Wind Turbine Service Technician

By the numbers
Typical pay
$64,120 / yr
Education to start
Postsecondary nondegree award
Future demand
+49.9% by 2034
People in this job
10K
Figures shown for ·1 O*NET occupation
The work
A day, hour by hour
06:30
Site briefing

Review overnight SCADA alerts and plan which turbines get worked today.

07:00
Weather call

Check wind speeds and gusts — decide if it's safe to climb or hold.

07:30
Lockout & climb

Lock out the electrical system, then haul gear 250 feet up the tower.

08:00
Fault diagnosis

Read error codes in the nacelle — sensor glitch or real gearbox trouble?

09:30
Component repair

Swap a failing hydraulic pump and re-torque bolts to spec, mid-air.

11:30
Blade inspection

Rappel alongside the blade; probe cracks and flag erosion beyond wear limits.

13:15
Ground maintenance

Oil change and full lubrication service on a second turbine at ground level.

14:30
Performance check

Pull live output data on a laptop — confirm repaired turbine is spinning clean.

15:30
Log & close out

File detailed maintenance records for every repair and inspection done today.

Things you do
  • Climb 200–300 feet up a turbine tower to reach the nacelle.
  • Diagnose why a turbine stopped spinning and fix the problem.
  • Swap out heavy components like gearboxes and generators mid-air.
  • Inspect blades up close for cracks, erosion, or storm damage.
  • Monitor turbine performance data on a computer to catch issues early.
Decisions you’ll make
  • Are these wind conditions too dangerous to climb, or can I safely go up?
  • Is this fault reading a real failure, or just a sensor glitch I can reset?
  • Should I shut the turbine down now, or keep it running until the part arrives?
  • Can my partner and I handle this repair ourselves, or do we need to call for backup?
  • Is this blade damage serious enough to flag, or within normal wear limits?
Education Pathways · how you get there
37 in 100 went the college route · 63 in 100 found another way in None, typically
Education mapped from O*NET:Wind Turbine Service Technicians · 100% related
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