Wind Power

Updated August 7th 9:00 AM

Job and career outlook

Job growth in wind energy has been on a steady climb and has certain geographic areas of the country where it is even stronger. This trend is driven by investment in onshore and offshore wind projects, decreasing costs which make wind more economically viable and improvements in efficiency and performance. The size of wind turbines is awe inspiring, sometimes being as tall as a large skyscraper. Based on the charts and data sets below, one can see the recent growth trends are holding strong and centered in a discrete number of cities and states. Texas is the leader in wind energy production in the country.

Education and skills

The Wind power industry has a wide spectrum of roles, ranging from engineering and project management to operations and maintenance. But don’t get blown over, as there are a lot of on the job training opportunities for entry level job seekers. The variety of jobs is broad, but here are a few educational backgrounds and skills that help to secure a role in wind power.

Wind turbine technicians need a strong innate aptitude and sense of mechanical and engineering, as well as troubleshooting. Wind power engineer requires a bachelor of science in engineering - mechanical, electrical or environmental. Wind resources careers require a background in meteorological or atmospheric sciences. While wind energy research it helps to have a PHD in mechanical or electrical engineering.

Industry Outlook and trends

There are a number trends that are all uniting to drive wind power as a industry, and as a career choice with numerous avenues for employment. These trends include increasing efficiency, decreasing costs due to scale and technological improvements. Additionally government policies are supporting incentives which drive demand and make wind more economically viable. Also, offshore wind farms are seeing an uptick and benefit from higher and more consistent wind speeds as well fewer land use complications. Overall, it is a great time to work and invest in the wind energy field, as it has many tailwinds propelling the industry.