Wind Energy Engineers

Employers

Approximately 120,000 people are employed in the wind energy industry, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Different regions of the United States are windier than others, which is why wind-related projects tend to be most concentrated in the Midwest, Southwest, and Northeast regions of the United States. The top five U.S. states by total installed wind capacity are Texas (30,904 MW), Iowa (10,799 MW), Oklahoma (8,173 MW), Kansas (6,512 MW), and California (5,871 MW). 

There are more than 500 wind-related manufacturing facilities in the United States. Much wind turbine manufacturing is located in the Midwest and Southeast. Large manufacturers include GE Wind Energy, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, and Vestas.  

Starting Out

Many wind energy engineers get started in the field through internships, cooperative work/study programs, or part-time positions. They learn about job openings through trade associations, industry publications, career fairs, and networking events. They also get job-search help from their school's career services office and by looking for job listings on Web sites such as Glassdoor, Indeed, LinkedIn, and SimplyHired, among others. Useful information about careers in the renewable-energy industry can be found at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Jobs Web page, https://www.energy.gov/eere/education/clean-energy-jobs-and-planning.