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17-2199.10 - Wind Energy Engineers


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


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
1
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
136,900
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
142,300
Estimate
Change in Employment
+5,500
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+4%
Estimate
Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Recommend process or infrastructure changes to improve wind turbine performance, reduce operational costs, or comply with regulations.
  • Create or maintain wind farm layouts, schematics, or other visual documentation for wind farms.
  • Create models to optimize the layout of wind farm access roads, crane pads, crane paths, collection systems, substations, switchyards, or transmission lines.
Supplemental
  • Write reports to document wind farm collector system test results.
  • Oversee the work activities of wind farm consultants or subcontractors.
  • Investigate experimental wind turbines or wind turbine technologies for properties such as aerodynamics, production, noise, and load.
  • Test wind turbine equipment to determine effects of stress or fatigue.
  • Test wind turbine components, using mechanical or electronic testing equipment.
  • Provide engineering technical support to designers of prototype wind turbines.
  • Perform root cause analysis on wind turbine tower component failures.
  • Monitor wind farm construction to ensure compliance with regulatory standards or environmental requirements.
  • Direct balance of plant (BOP) construction, generator installation, testing, commissioning, or supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) to ensure compliance with specifications.
  • Develop specifications for wind technology components, such as gearboxes, blades, generators, frequency converters, or pad transformers.
  • Develop active control algorithms, electronics, software, electromechanical, or electrohydraulic systems for wind turbines.
  • Design underground or overhead wind farm collector systems.
  • Analyze operation of wind farms or wind farm components to determine reliability, performance, and compliance with specifications.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Engineering and Technology
  • 96%
    Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
 Mathematics
  • 88%
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
 Design
  • 87%
    Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
 Physics
  • 84%
    Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
 English Language
  • 83%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 80%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 Administration and Management
  • 71%
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
 Customer and Personal Service
  • 67%
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
 Building and Construction
  • 66%
    Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
 Mechanical
  • 66%
    Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
 Public Safety and Security
  • 62%
    Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
 Law and Government
  • 61%
    Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
 Clerical
  • 58%
    Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
 Education and Training
  • 58%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
 Production and Processing
  • 57%
    Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
 Geography
  • 55%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
 Economics and Accounting
  • 55%
    Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
 Communications and Media
  • 52%
    Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Meteorological instruments
  • Barometric pressure sensors
  • Cup anemometers
  • Portable meteorological stations
  • Propeller anemometers
  • Pyranometers
  • Recording anemometers
  • Sonic detection and ranging SODAR equipment
  • Wind vanes
 Computer data input devices
  • Dataloggers
 Computers
  • Desktop computers
  • Laptop computers
  • Mainframe computers
 Cameras
  • Digital still cameras
  • Digital video cameras
 Transducers
  • Electronic temperature sensors
 Audio and visual equipment
  • Handheld global positioning system GPS units
 Radar and sonar systems and components
  • Light detection and ranging LIDAR systems
 Soil measuring equipment
  • Soil samplers
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Data management and query software
  • Amazon Web Services AWS softwareHOT
  • Microsoft AccessHOT
  • Microsoft SQL ServerHOT
  • Structured query language SQLHOT
  • TableauHOT
 Industry specific software
  • ANSYS
  • Autodesk AutoCADHOT
  • Bentley MicrostationHOT
  • Computational fluid dynamics CFD software
  • Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKSHOT
  • DIgSILENT PowerFactory
  • EMD International WindPRO
  • ESRI ArcGIS Spatial Analyst
  • GE Energy Positive Sequence Load Flow Software PSLF
  • Manitoba HVDC Research Centre PSCAD
  • Mathsoft Mathcad
  • Power system modeling software
  • PowerWorld Corporation PowerWorld Simulator
  • PTC Creo ParametricHOT
  • ReSoft WindFarm
  • Risoe National Laboratory Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program WAsP
  • Schneider Electric Direct Coordination
  • Siemens PSS Product Suite
  • SKM Systems Analysis Power Tools
  • Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA softwareHOT
  • The MathWorks MATLABHOT
  • WindSim
  • Wonderware software
 Development software
  • Apache AntHOT
  • C++HOT
  • Extensible markup language XMLHOT
  • Formula translation/translator FORTRAN
  • JUnitHOT
  • Microsoft .NET FrameworkHOT
  • Microsoft Visual BasicHOT
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition VBScriptHOT
  • Microsoft Visual Basic.NET
  • Microsoft Visual C#
  • Microsoft Visual C# .NET
  • National Instruments LabVIEWHOT
  • Oracle JavaHOT
  • PythonHOT
  • Software development tools
 Content management software
  • Apache Subversion SVNHOT
  • GitHOT
 Finance accounting and enterprise resource planning ERP software
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP softwareHOT
 Information exchange software
  • ESRI ArcGIS softwareHOT
  • ESRI ArcInfo
  • Geographic information system GIS softwareHOT
  • Global Mapper Software Global Mapper
  • Google Earth Pro
  • Microsoft OutlookHOT
  • Web conferencing software
 Operating environment software
  • LinuxHOT
  • UNIXHOT
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Microsoft PowerPointHOT
  • Microsoft VisioHOT
  • Microsoft WordHOT
  • Word processing software
 Business function specific software
  • Microsoft OfficeHOT
  • Microsoft ProjectHOT
  • Oracle Primavera Systems
 Network applications software
  • Web browser software
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
 Advanced
 Core
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Online Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

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Central Virginia Community College
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Piedmont Virginia Community College
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Southwest Virginia Community College
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