Wind energy industry – how e-learning can help you prepare for jobs in this niche
January 31, 2021
Introduction
Are you ready to take part in a renewable energy industry that promises not only to solve tomorrow’s energy problem but also help mitigate climate change? Did you know that wind energy technology is one of the most important renewable energy technologies that supply clean electricity to the utility grid? In other words, wind energy technologies play a major role in today’s electricity distribution systems from a generating system to a consumer over a distance.
As a high school or college student or even an adult professional looking for a career change, this is a good time for you to turn your attention to this promising career path of wind energy generation. Why? This is because the wind energy industry has recently become a fast-expanding field with significant job opportunities. Therefore, tomorrow’s professionals like you should start developing technical skills to enter this field.
This article provides some relevant information about the wind energy industry and helps you to start the right career via quality online education.
Benefits of Wind Energy
Wind power or wind energy is clean. You may have seen wind turbines of different sizes over a vast area with its blades rotating. You must have wondered the science behind those wind turbines of different sizes. In simple terms, wind turbines harness wind’s kinetic energy and produce electricity. This means that unlike other power plants, wind energy doesn’t pollute the air. While many power plants rely on the combustion of fossil fuels, (such as coal or natural gas), wind energy generation is fuel-free. Additionally, generating wind energy is cost-effective. The wind is abundant, inexhaustible, and sustainable. This is why it is called renewable energy. As long as the wind blows, the energy produced can be harnessed to send power across the grid.
The prospects of the wind energy industry
Over the past 10 years, the yearly wind power generation capacity in the U.S. has grown 15% per year. The wind is now the largest source of renewable power in the country. Today’s wind energy industry promises a vast number of jobs to those who are qualified and properly trained. The U.S. wind sector employs more than 100,000 workers yearly. According to the Wind Vision Report, the wind energy sector has the potential to support more than 600,000 jobs in manufacturing, installation, maintenance, and supporting services by 2050. There are many jobs in the wind energy sector, both at technical and managerial levels. The wind turbine technician job is the most in-demand role in the industry. According to the Wind Vision Report, the wind has the potential to support more than 600,000 jobs in manufacturing, installation, maintenance, and supporting services by 2050.
Wind energy enables U.S. industry growth and U.S. competitiveness. New wind projects account for annual investments of over $10 billion in the U.S. economy. The country has vast domestic resources and requires a highly-skilled workforce and can compete globally in the clean energy economy.
Education and training for the wind energy industry
In order to prepare yourself, you must be trained enough for a future career in wind energy technology. Whereas a college education is an extremely good choice, your other choice would be to go for a university education. For both types of study, the cost can be a deterrent. As a first step, the online or e-learning approach is a good option as it is affordable. Moreover, if you are a working person, e-learning platforms help you complete your course at your own time and pace. You do not have to attend a college or training institute campus for in-person training. In the next section, we will dive into online education. Let’s first talk about how getting proper training can help pave the path to your new career.
With proper training, you can learn several things from installation to design as applied in wind energy technologies. Along with it, you also learn to take part in building wind energy infrastructure. Depending on your education, you can be a technician, a designer, or a researcher. What job you could take depends on your educational plans.
Prospective wind energy jobs
As wind energy grows in popularity, the demands in job roles also get higher. The wind turbine technician job is one of the most in-demand jobs in the wind energy industry. A wind turbine technician, also called wind tech, maintains and fixes a wind turbine. Wind turbine technician is one of the fastest-growing jobs in the U.S. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Occupational Outlook Handbook, wind turbine technician is a job with high demand and growth potential. See this link.
Other jobs for a wind tech include installation and inspection. If you think that’s something you’re interested in, gaining credible training is your way to go. If your plan includes getting higher education at a university, your job options may also include designing. You can take roles such as a system designer or a blade designer. Furthermore, with more advanced studies you can also take a researcher role. Here’s a question you will be able to answer as a designer: What does it take to design a 250 MW (megawatt) wind power system?
While this information may be important, actually choosing a course can be a time and effort consuming process. Therefore, a lot of high schools, college students, and young professionals like you should consider high-quality affordable online education. An online course helps you know if this kind of technology-intensive technical job will suit your physical and mental personality. Moreover, an e-course will give you a sneak peek into what this profession looks like without increasing your debt level. This will help you decide if this intensive technical job suits you and help you pave your career path.
How e-learning can help you prepare for jobs in the wind energy industry
Choosing the right course or training program can be a hectic process for many. There are several things to consider here, starting from your educational plans. While choosing e-learning or online education on the wind energy industry, you should consider these facts.
How relevant is the course?
The relevancy of the course is important in terms of planning to join the trade. A detailed course outline will give you the first shot of understanding what you will get when enrolling in such an online education.
Does it help with your goal?
Your main goal is employability in the next 1-year to 4-year time frame. At the outset, online education on wind energy technologies will help you to decide if a wind-energy related college course or even a degree course in university is the right choice for your career. Whereas an online education (such as our portal) is extremely affordable, consider how it can help with your goal in the short- or long-term.
Does it give you first-hand knowledge of the field?
The right online education course format should be able to give you knowledge of principles or the basics of wind energy technologies including wind energy generation. This way, the course helps you get a good demonstration of what your future college course might be all about. Moreover, in many cases, it does so in creative ways to make your learning experience, enjoyable.
Conclusion
A career in the wind energy technologies industry is a good prospect for students and young professionals like you. With proper education and training, you can start your career not just as a wind turbine technician but also as a system engineer, designer, or researcher. However, your planning to pursue a career in this field must be based on research well done. An affordable and trust-worthy e-learning tool portal will give you the first insights to pursue or build a career in the wind energy industry. It is crucial that you use a reliable and professional e-learning platform that provides you a better insight into wind energy technology and prepares you for a successful career ahead.