- Federal data indicates wind-turbine technician is the fastest-growing job in the US.
- The US and other countries are building more wind farms to tackle the climate crisis.
- This article is part of "Trends to Bet Your Career On," a series about trending professional opportunities.
Dakota Carter was in middle school when a new wind farm went up near his hometown of Delavan, Illinois.
He was fascinated by the project's turbines, which can churn out enough power for 35,000 homes.
"I've always been passionate about the environment," Carter said. "So I thought a career in wind could actually make a difference."
Now Carter, 29, is the operations site supervisor at that project, known as the Rail Splitter Wind Farm, owned by EDP Renewables North America. He started as an intern in 2017 before becoming a wind technician and then advancing over the past seven years.
Carter entered the field at the right time. Federal data indicates wind-turbine technician is the fastest-growing job in the US, alongside nurse practitioner.
The jobs website Indeed said postings for wind-turbine technicians grew by 30% in 2023, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects about 1,800 openings each year over the next decade. Industry groups have forecast demand for about 240,000 new recruits by 2027 across Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, India, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, and the US.
These countries want to build onshore and offshore wind farms rapidly so they can meet renewable-energy targets and mitigate the climate crisis. The International Energy Agency estimates that for the world to achieve net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050, about 17% more wind capacity must be added to power grids every year. The US is expected to add 11% capacity from 2023 to 2025.
The UK has long been a leader in wind but was recently surpassed by China, which accounted for half of all the new wind capacity added around the world in 2022. The US is further behind, but the industry got a boost from the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. The law authorized generous tax breaks for renewable-energy projects and companies that pay their workers well.
In the US, the jobs are mostly onshore, in states like Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, and Colorado. The first large-scale offshore projects recently opened up off the coasts of New York and Massachusetts.
Last year the median pay for a wind-turbine technician was $61,770, but listings on Indeed averaged $80,100
Harry Willats, an executive consultant at Darwin Recruitment who specializes in the wind sector, told Business Insider that the starting wage for a wind technician was typically $20 to $25 an hour. More-experienced technicians with specialized training could earn nearly $50 an hour. Offshore wind technicians can expect to earn an extra 30% to 40% compared to onshore workers. There are a lot of overtime opportunities as well. As technicians move into supervisor positions, they might get an annual salary.
Federal data indicates the average hourly wage for the position in the US in 2023 was nearly $30 an hour, or $61,770 a year. But listings on Indeed averaged $80,100 a year.
Willats said there are several pathways into the industry. Typically, people finish a one-year electrical certificate program at a technical or community college and then get hired as apprentices. Those interested in offshore wind need to complete Global Wind Organization courses in basic safety, first aid, and sea survival.
There's a lot of on-the-job training. Wind technicians in the early stages of their careers might do scheduled maintenance and cleaning. As they advance, their jobs involve more troubleshooting and repairing, as well as managing crews. Willats said the highest-paid technicians tend to have specialized equipment certificates, such as those from Siemens Gamesa and GE.
Carter earned a bachelor's degree in business management at Robert Morris University in Illinois. He realized he didn't want a desk job, so he returned to a local community college for a one-year sustainable-energy certificate program focused on solar, wind, and building systems before joining EDP Renewables.
Exposed to the elements
"The biggest con is pretty obvious: the weather," Carter said. "You're working in the heat or the cold, and you're high up in the air. That can be pretty brutal. It's also a very physical job."
But Carter said that working in renewable energy made him feel like he was leaving the world a better place. He also has work-life balance at Rail Splitter Wind Farm. EDP owns, operates, and repairs the site, meaning Carter doesn't have to spend time away from home. Technicians who work for a company that operates a lot of wind farms may have to travel from site to site for long stretches.
Now that Carter is a supervisor, he spends more time talking with developers and people in the community about new projects the company is considering.