Turbine Technician

Jessica Kilroy is 107 meters (350 feet) above the ground. Everything is quiet except the rush of the wind. Kilroy spends a lot of time at this height. Her face is often red from windburn. She has been going outdoor rock climbing since she was 4. But Kilroy isn’t scaling a cliff today. She’s at the top of a wind turbine!

Wind turbines harness energy from the wind. They use it to make electricity. The wind turns the blades. A rotor spins a shaft inside the turbine. A machine called a generator turns this motion into electricity (see How Wind Farms Work). 

Wind power is a type of renewable energy. That means it will never be used up. Most countries make electricity by burning fossil fuels. These include coal, oil, or natural gas. The fuels come from the ground. They will someday run out. Wind turbines don’t make air pollution. But burning fossil fuels does.

A turbine’s blades can get damaged. Then they can’t catch the wind well. It’s Kilroy’s job to fix them when this happens. She’s a rope access technician. She uses rock-climbing gear to get to the blades. Then she uses tools to repair them. Kilroy recently spoke to Scholastic about her work.

My father is a rock climber, and my mom loves the outdoors, so I grew up going climbing a lot. I’m very comfortable up high. Another rock climber told me about this job—and that it requires people who can stay calm while working at high elevations. I’ve been doing it for nine years. 

My father is a rock climber. And my mom loves the outdoors. So I grew up going climbing a lot. I’m very comfortable up high. Another rock climber told me about this job. It required a person who can stay calm while working high up. I’ve been doing it for nine years. 

Before I climb up the turbine, technicians off-site use computers to shut down the turbine to keep the blades from moving. Then I climb a ladder inside the tower.

At the top, I enter a little room that houses the turbine’s moving parts, called the nacelle (nuh-SEL). It’s cramped inside, so I feel like I’m in a submarine! I use a brake and special metal cylinders to make sure the blades stay still while I work.

I tie my ropes and exit the nacelle. I have a partner on the ground who guides me as I descend the blade. 

First, technicians off-site use computers to shut down the turbine. That keeps the blades from moving. Then I climb a ladder inside the tower. 

I enter a little room at the top. It’s called the nacelle (nuh-SEL). It holds the turbine’s moving parts. It’s cramped inside. So I feel like I’m in a submarine! I use a brake and special metal cylinders to make sure the blades stay still while I work. 

I tie my ropes and exit the nacelle. I have a partner on the ground to guide me as I climb out onto the blade. 

I use power tools like sanders and grinders. They remove the broken parts of the blade. Blades are made of a material called fiberglass. I replace the damaged parts with new material. I fill cracks and holes with sticky substances that harden to make the blade smooth. Then it’s aerodynamic again.

It’s the same way you would fix a boat or surfboard. In fact, we practiced repairs on surfboards made of fiberglass when I first trained.