Service technician, wind power

Briefly explain what you do for a living.

My job title is service technician and I work in wind farms in Sea Lapland at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. My tasks include the daily maintenance of wind turbines and the annual inspections of safety equipment, lifts and cranes. In addition, my work includes repairs that should be taken care of as soon as possible.

How have you ended up in the profession of your choice?

After graduation, I worked in maintenance tasks in industry, mines and heat plants. When my employment relationship was interrupted, my then employer tipped me off about the possibility of work for a subcontractor of Gamesa. That is how I ended up in my current job.

Describe your typical working day or week.

In the morning of a typical working day, I check my emails on my way to work. If repairs need to be done, I get a notification by email. After receiving the message, I will go to the turbine in question. First, I examine electrical and hydraulic images, and then I look for any spare parts that may be needed at the warehouse. Repairs can be a quick job, or at worst it may take days, but I can usually continue with other tasks after the repair. In that case, I may carry out, for example, an annual inspection at the same power plant.

About the impact of the seasons on the working rhythm: we make an effort to carry out the annual maintenance of marine power plants when the sea is frozen. Annual maintenance includes adding lubricants and checking bolt tensions.

What kind of work environment or working hours do you have?

I work in varying weather conditions because work is carried out in high places outdoors, rain or shine. We have eight offshore wind turbines that we access with boats, snowmobiles, quad bikes or hydrocopters.

This is daytime work, i.e. the shifts are either between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. or between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. If there are repairs, the days may be longer.

What kind of competence or qualities are required in the profession?

A service technician must have the courage to work at heights. Troubleshooting requires a far-reaching, systematic approach. Skills in electrical and automation technology and mechanical installation are useful, but wind turbine manufacturers train employees for each type of machinery.

Language proficiency is important in the wind power sector, as all documents, technical support and communication are in English. Basic English skills is probably the minimum requirement for the field. Training is also mainly organised abroad.

What is the best thing about your profession?

The best part is variability. Working days do not feel long, because this is not a conveyor belt job. In the spring, there are more routine tasks during maintenance, but that is not a problem either.

What are the downsides of the profession or what seems challenging?

Service technicians are at the mercy of the conditions. It is cold in the winter, and getting dressed properly is important. Sometimes, transitions to a power plant in the cold weather feel unpleasant. On the other hand, it may be extremely hot in the power plant's engine room in the summer.

What would you tell a person considering the profession of a service technician?

If you want to work in the wind power sector, you should study languages. English is the most important language, but Swedish or German can also be useful. If you know how to read and interpret electrical and hydraulic images, troubleshooting is easier.

How do you see the future of your profession?

It seems there is work in the future. Unfortunately, education in the field has been ignored in Finland, but training in electrical and automation technology and mechanical installation provide good competences for the field. The rest you learn by working. We have good instructions, as long as you know English well enough.