How to become a Wind Energy Engineer

Official title: Wind Energy Engineers

Also called: Engineer, Project Engineer, Turbine Measurements Engineer, Utility Engineer, Wind Energy Consultant, Wind Farm Siting and Development Consultant, Wind Turbine Design Engineer

Design underground or overhead wind farm collector systems and prepare and develop site specifications.

Main tasks

• Create or maintain wind farm layouts, schematics, or other visual documentation for wind farms.
• Recommend process or infrastructure changes to improve wind turbine performance, reduce operational costs, or comply with regulations.
• Create models to optimize the layout of wind farm access roads, crane pads, crane paths, collection systems, substations, switchyards, or transmission lines.

How to become one

Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree

Ways in

• College: Engineering degrees, Offered by 36 universities in the US
• Licence: A licence is required in 45 states.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $122,930 a year The middle half earn $90,970 to $158,090.
• About 166,700 people work in this job now, and about 173,000 are projected by 2035. (+3.7%)
• People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.

Related jobs

• Energy Engineers, Except Wind and Solar
• Mechatronics Engineers
• Solar Energy Systems Engineers
• Microsystems Engineers
• Photonics Engineers
• Robotics Engineers

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Wind Energy Engineer?

Ways in include: Engineering degrees.

How much does a Wind Energy Engineer earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $122,930 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $90,970 to $158,090.

Is a Wind Energy Engineer a growing career in the US?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 4% by 2035, from about 166,700 to about 173,000 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Wind Energy Engineer?

Usually. 84% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a Wind Energy Engineer?

People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.