Aren’t wind turbines high maintenance to start with? Of course, why worry about cost when one has government (aka taxpayers) footing the bills.
These are the green jobs. Doubtless the salaries will originate with the government, even though they are likely to be issued to the workers by the turbine companies.
The son of friends is currently in school to become a wind turbine technician. He is there because he sees no chance for a return to carpentry and contracting.
In speaking with him, he mentioned that the wind turbines are being built “in Europe, because it is cheaper.”
After we questioned how that could be, given currency exchange rates and the cost of transport,not to mention all the income guarantees and unions involved, he looked puzzled, but not yet doubting. He did say that American companies are “working hard to get their hands into the turbine construction field. (Aside: we know an engineer whose company already does this. He is becoming more and more worried about his own position surviving.)
The young man quoted an astronomical figure for the number of land-based turbine techs that will be needed and he is confident that he will be able to become a supervisor eventually, as the hordes continue taking this training and will, of course, all become workers and continue in those positions, needing experienced supervision. He and his classmates are counting on the proposed Lake Michigan wind farms as a source of continuing employment, as well.
He’s in his late 20s and is a good guy in every way. We didn’t push our POV because we just didn’t want to argue with him at that point. That is mainly because he is finishing our roofing after my husband injured himself and we don’t need to antagonize him.
Wind trbines are all politics.