Wind Energy Engineers
Overview
Introduction
Wind energy engineers design wind farm systems and develop the specifications for sites for wind farms and equipment. They research and assess current wind farm systems and make recommendations for improvements in wind turbine performance. They also design and improve on designs of wind farm collection systems that reduce the costs of operations and comply with regulations. They work closely with wind turbine prototype designers. Approximately 120,000 people are employed in the wind energy industry, according to the American Wind En...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Wind energy engineers employed in the United States in November 2020 earned a median salary of $75,867, according to PayScale.com. Salaries ranged from $59,000 to $112,000 or more.
The Department of Labor does not provide salary information specific to wind energy engineers. It does provide salary data for engineers, all other, who earned a median salary of $99,040 in May 2019. The lowe...
Work Environment
Wind energy engineers work full time, usually 40 or more hours per week. They spend some time working indoors in offices and in laboratories. They also travel frequently to inspect turbine installations, wind turbine manufacturing processes, or to assess sites for wind farms and wind energy systems. Overseas travel is often required because many of the biggest turbine manufacturers are located ...
Outlook
The wind industry is among the fastest growing sectors of the renewable-energy industry. Its growth is due primarily to lower production costs. Improvements and developments in wind energy technology and equipment have reduced wind-generated electricity costs by about 80 percent in the past 20 years, nearly matching the cost of electricity generated by conventional sources such as coal or nucle...