Trade workers are typically employed for the installation of the turbine components which involves tying rebar, cement work, rigging, climbing, and working at heights.
Some examples of trade workers in the wind industry are cement masons and electricians.
Cement masons are responsible for pouring, smoothing, and finishing concrete foundations for wind turbines. Concrete work for wind farms is very repetitive as typically one foundation design will be used per project, and single projects can have hundreds of turbine foundations.
Electricians are needed to get the energy from the turbine's generator to the power grid on the ground. They wire the turbine to connect its electrical system, install the wind farm collection system, and construct substations.
- Critical-thinking skills. Electricians perform tests and use the results to diagnose problems. For example, when an outlet is not working, they may use a multimeter to check the voltage, amperage, or resistance to determine the best course of action.
- Customer-service skills. Some trade workers work with people on a regular basis. As a result, they should be friendly and be able to address customers’ questions.
- Managerial skills. Some trade workers must be able to direct others’ work as well as plan work schedules. Often, this work includes preparing estimates, scheduling jobs, and other administrative tasks.
- Troubleshooting skills. Electricians find, diagnose, and repair problems. For example, if a motor stops working, they perform tests to determine the cause of its failure and then, depending on the results, fix or replace the motor.