Occupation

Wind Energy Engineers

Human Advantage 73%

Significant human skills needed

AI Automation Risk Moderate Risk
3.1 / 10

Some tasks in this role may be augmented by AI, but human oversight and interpersonal skills remain important.

Design underground or overhead wind farm collector systems and prepare and develop site specifications.

Also Known As: Engineer, Project Engineer, SCADA Engineer (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), Turbine Engineer, Turbine Measurements Engineer, Utility Engineer, Wind Energy Consultant, Wind Energy Engineer +11 more

Video

Core Tasks

  1. Create or maintain wind farm layouts, schematics, or other visual documentation for wind farms.
  2. Recommend process or infrastructure changes to improve wind turbine performance, reduce operational costs, or comply with regulations.
  3. Create models to optimize the layout of wind farm access roads, crane pads, crane paths, collection systems, substations, switchyards, or transmission lines.

Supplemental Tasks (13)

  1. Provide engineering technical support to designers of prototype wind turbines.
  2. Investigate experimental wind turbines or wind turbine technologies for properties such as aerodynamics, production, noise, and load.
  3. Develop active control algorithms, electronics, software, electromechanical, or electrohydraulic systems for wind turbines.
  4. Develop specifications for wind technology components, such as gearboxes, blades, generators, frequency converters, or pad transformers.
  5. Test wind turbine components, using mechanical or electronic testing equipment.
  6. Oversee the work activities of wind farm consultants or subcontractors.
  7. Test wind turbine equipment to determine effects of stress or fatigue.
  8. Monitor wind farm construction to ensure compliance with regulatory standards or environmental requirements.
  9. Direct balance of plant (BOP) construction, generator installation, testing, commissioning, or supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) to ensure compliance with specifications.
  10. Analyze operation of wind farms or wind farm components to determine reliability, performance, and compliance with specifications.
  11. Perform root cause analysis on wind turbine tower component failures.
  12. Design underground or overhead wind farm collector systems.
  13. Write reports to document wind farm collector system test results.

Emerging Tasks

New and evolving responsibilities for this role:

  • Analyze meteorological data.
  • Design electrical interconnections.
  • Design wind turbine components.
  • Estimate energy production by analyzing wind data.

Education & Training

Job Zone 4 Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Education: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Experience: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
On-the-Job Training: Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Education Level Distribution

Percentage of workers in this occupation with each education level.

Bachelor's Degree
70%
Master's Degree
14%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.
6%
Some College Courses
4%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.
3%
Doctoral Degree
2%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)
2%

Technology & Tools

Hot Technologies

  • Amazon Web Services AWS software
  • Apache Subversion SVN
  • Autodesk AutoCAD
  • Bentley MicroStation
  • C#
  • C++
  • Dassault Systemes SolidWorks
  • ESRI ArcGIS software
  • Extensible markup language XML
  • Git
  • JUnit
  • Linux
  • Microsoft .NET Framework
  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Project
  • Microsoft SQL Server
  • Microsoft Visio
  • Microsoft Visual Basic
  • Microsoft Visual Studio
  • Microsoft Word
  • Oracle Java
  • Python
  • Structured query language SQL
  • Tableau
  • The MathWorks MATLAB
  • UNIX

Software (65)

  • ANSYS simulation software
  • Apache Ant
  • Computational fluid dynamics CFD software
  • DIgSILENT PowerFactory
  • EMD International WindPRO
  • ESRI ArcGIS Spatial Analyst
  • ESRI ArcInfo
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
  • Formula translation/translator FORTRAN
  • GE Energy Positive Sequence Load Flow Software PSLF
  • Geographic information system GIS software
  • Global Mapper Software Global Mapper
  • Google Earth Pro
  • Manitoba HVDC Research Centre PSCAD
  • Mathsoft Mathcad
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition VBScript
  • Microsoft Visual Basic.NET
  • Microsoft Visual C# .NET
  • National Instruments LabVIEW
  • Oracle Primavera Systems
  • PTC Creo Parametric
  • Power system modeling software
  • PowerWorld Corporation PowerWorld Simulator
  • ReSoft WindFarm
  • Risoe National Laboratory Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program WAsP
  • SKM Systems Analysis Power Tools
  • Schneider Electric Direct Coordination
  • Siemens PSS Product Suite
  • Software development tools
  • Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
  • Web browser software
  • Web conferencing software
  • WindSim
  • Wonderware software
  • Word processing software

Tools & Equipment (18)

  • Barometric pressure sensors
  • Cup anemometers
  • Dataloggers
  • Desktop computers
  • Digital still cameras
  • Digital video cameras
  • Electronic temperature sensors
  • Handheld global positioning system GPS units
  • Laptop computers
  • Light detection and ranging LIDAR systems
  • Mainframe computers
  • Portable meteorological stations
  • Propeller anemometers
  • Pyranometers
  • Recording anemometers
  • Soil samplers
  • Sonic detection and ranging SODAR equipment
  • Wind vanes

Where This Career Leads

Career progression organized by specialty track and experience level.

Engineering Advanced Manufacturing

Zone 4
Wind Energy Engineers You are here

Architecture & Civil Engineering Advanced Manufacturing

Zone 4
Wind Energy Engineers You are here

Environmental Protection Advanced Manufacturing

Zone 4
Wind Energy Engineers You are here

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