Career profile · 49-9081
Wind Turbine Service Technicians
Inspect, diagnose, adjust, or repair wind turbines. Perform maintenance on wind turbine equipment including resolving electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic malfunctions.
What the work can involve
- Troubleshoot or repair mechanical, hydraulic, or electrical malfunctions related to variable pitch systems, variable speed control systems, converter systems, or related components.
- Perform routine maintenance on wind turbine equipment, underground transmission systems, wind fields substations, or fiber optic sensing and control systems.
- Diagnose problems involving wind turbine generators or control systems.
- Test electrical components of wind systems with devices, such as voltage testers, multimeters, oscilloscopes, infrared testers, or fiber optic equipment.
- Start or restart wind turbine generator systems to ensure proper operations.
- Climb wind turbine towers to inspect, maintain, or repair equipment.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This broad O*NET group commonly involves vocational training, related experience or an associate-level route. It does not mean every course in a related subject meets the requirements.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
- Active Listening
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Mechanical
- Computers and Electronics
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Engineering and Technology
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment
- Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
- Controlling Machines and Processes
- Handling and Moving Objects
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Constant contact with others | 73.8%08/2021 · sample 30 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Every day | 70.1%08/2021 · sample 30 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 92.4%08/2021 · sample 30 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Every day | 91.4%08/2021 · sample 29 |
| Spend Time Sitting | Less than half the time | 70.5%08/2021 · sample 30 |
| Spend Time Standing | Continually or almost continually | 41.1%08/2021 · sample 30 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | Continually or almost continually | 87.2%08/2021 · sample 30 |
| Time Pressure | Every day | 50.4%08/2021 · sample 30 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Every day | 100.0%08/2021 · sample 30 |
| Work Schedules | Irregular (changes with weather conditions, production demands, or contract duration) | 49.7%08/2021 · sample 30 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Analytical or scientific software: Computerized diagnostic software
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access, Structured query language SQL
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software: IBM Maximo Asset Management, SAP software
- Facilities management software: Computerized maintenance management system CMMS
- Industrial control software: Industrial control systems software, Programmable logic controller PLC software, Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software, Vestas Wind Systems A/S Vestas Remote Panel
- Internet browser software: Web browser software
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
- Project management software: Microsoft Project
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for wind turbine service technicians
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 25 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $66,330 | $31.89 | 80 |
| California | $77,910 | $37.46 | 400 |
| Colorado | $74,740 | $35.94 | 410 |
| Idaho | $60,810 | $29.24 | 40 |
| Indiana | $76,680 | $36.87 | 140 |
| Iowa | $74,880 | $36.00 | 900 |
| Kansas | $78,240 | $37.62 | 330 |
| Maine | $59,220 | $28.47 | 50 |
| Michigan | $62,800 | $30.19 | 70 |
| Minnesota | $65,000 | $31.25 | 450 |
| Mississippi | $50,040 | $24.06 | 30 |
| Missouri | $65,230 | $31.36 | 80 |
| Montana | $62,360 | $29.98 | 40 |
| New Mexico | $57,230 | $27.51 | 330 |
| New York | $81,330 | $39.10 | 390 |
| North Carolina | $66,380 | $31.91 | 120 |
| North Dakota | $66,700 | $32.07 | 310 |
| Ohio | $73,880 | $35.52 | 120 |
| Oklahoma | $59,290 | $28.51 | 340 |
| Oregon | $61,820 | $29.72 | 150 |
| Pennsylvania | $60,830 | $29.25 | 50 |
| South Dakota | $73,820 | $35.49 | 180 |
| Texas | $61,950 | $29.79 | 3,890 |
| Washington | $75,880 | $36.48 | 210 |
| Wyoming | $62,830 | $30.21 | 90 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 24 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
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Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 49-9081.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.