Installation, Maintenance, and Repair · Holland code RCI
Wind Turbine Service Technicians
Inspect, diagnose, adjust, or repair wind turbines. Perform maintenance on wind turbine equipment including resolving electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic malfunctions.
Also called: Field Service Technician, Wind Farm Support Specialist, Wind Technician, Wind Turbine Technician, Renewable Energy Technician, Service Technician, Troubleshooting Technician, Wind Turbine Operator.
O*NET 49-9081.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $64,120
- Middle half earn $58,840 to $78,010. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- Post-Secondary Certificate
- 34% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 3 of 5
- Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
- US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034
- +50% · Much faster than average
- 13,600 jobs in 2024, projected 20,500. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Wind turbine technicians".
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- 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.
- Maintain tool and spare parts inventories required for repair, installation, or replacement services.
- Test structures, controls, or mechanical, hydraulic, or electrical systems, according to test plans or in coordination with engineers.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.5 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.3 / 5
- Monitoring3.3 / 5
- Active Listening3.1 / 5
- Speaking3.1 / 5
- Active Learning3.1 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Mechanical4.5 / 5
- Computers and Electronics4.2 / 5
- English Language4.0 / 5
- Public Safety and Security3.7 / 5
- Engineering and Technology3.7 / 5
- Education and Training3.3 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic100
- Investigative43
- Artistic0
- Social10
- Enterprising13
- Conventional55
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- renewable energy engineer · DE Ingenieur Erneuerbare Energien/Ingenieurin Erneuerbare Energien · FR ingénieur R&D en énergies renouvelables/ingénieure R&D en énergies renouvelables
- hydropower technician · DE Wasserkraftwerkstechniker/Wasserkraftwerkstechnikerin · FR technicien en hydroélectricité/technicienne en hydroélectricité
- power production plant operator · DE Steuerer von Energieerzeugungsanlagen/Steuerin von Energieerzeugungsanlagen · FR conducteur d’installations de production d’énergie/conductrice d’installations de production d’énergie
- aircraft gas turbine engine overhaul technician · DE Fluggerätemechaniker für Gasturbinen-Triebwerke/Fluggerätemechanikerin für Gasturbinen-Triebwerke · FR technicien aéronautique de révision de moteurs à turbine à gaz/technicienne aéronautique de révision de moteurs à turbine à gaz
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Quantity surveyors (2453)45,300 employed
- Quality assurance technicians (3115)36,100 employed
- Science, engineering and production technicians n.e.c. (3119)38,000 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €50,992 |
| Austria | €46,986 |
| Germany | €44,473 |
| Netherlands | €42,448 |
| Ireland | €41,613 |
| Sweden | €41,155 |
| Italy | €34,882 |
| France | €34,816 |
| Spain | €29,757 |
| Portugal | €18,080 |
| Poland | €12,108 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.97. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (49-9081).
Related careers
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