Wind Energy Professional

Hours: 240 / Access Length: 12 Months / Delivery: Open, Mentor Supported
Retail Price: $1,150.00

Course Overview:

The availability of clean, renewable power is without question going to be the defining challenge and goal of the 21st century, and wind will lead the way. Wind power can realistically not only replace the lion’s share of oil, coal, and natural gas fired electrical plants in the U.S., but also can add enough extra power capacity to allow for most of the cars in the nation to run on electricity.

This Wind Energy Professional course is designed specifically with technicians in mind! Our course covers all aspects of installing and troubleshooting wind turbines, giving technicians the knowledge they need to handle even complex maintenance tasks. This course explains how wind turbine blades harvest wind energy, and how generators convert shaft turning energy into electricity. It shows how electrical and hydraulic systems control the speed of wind turbine blades, energizing blade pitch and yaw position controls. Mechanical subjects such as gears, transmissions and gearboxes are discussed in detail.

Some additional course features include:

  • Comprehensive, in-depth coverage—including wind turbine installation and troubleshooting, towers, blades, generators, control, and much more 
  • History, background, trends, and demand projections—Provides the context needed to understand the growing role of wind energy
  • Coverage of all parts of vertical and horizontal wind turbines—including small, medium, and large wind turbines
  • Essential electrical coverage—including basic electricity theory, magnetism, motors, generators, PLC controls, and the electrical grid
  • Extensive discussion of mechanical topics
  • Towers, tower designs, and safety- walks through the advantages and disadvantages of each type of tower, discusses the principles of safe tower design and construction, and explains nacelle installation
  • Integration of wind-generated electricity into the grid

After completing this course, you should be able to:

  • Comprehend the core elements of wind energy
  • Identify features of wind turbine technology
  • Identify wind turbine classifications and specifications
  • Identify components of wind turbines and generators
  • Identify the steps for installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting

Course Outline:

Wind Energy Professional Module 1
Wind Energy Basics – Part 1
  • Overview of Wind Energy
  • Wind Turbine Size Classes
  • Wind Turbine Technology
  • Mini Wind Turbines
  • Household Size Wind Turbines
  • Small Commercial Wind Turbines
  • Large Wind Turbines
  • Vertical Axis Revival
  • Power in the Wind
  • Air Density
  • Wind Speed Distribution
  • Estimating Wind Performance
  • Power Curve Method
  • Towers & Tower Placement
  • Problems with Wind Turbines
Wind Energy Professional Module 2
Wind Energy Basics – Part 2
  • Off the Grid
  • Hybrid Wind & Solar Systems
  • Wind Pumping
  • Interconnection Technology
  • Power Quality & the Utility
  • Net Metering
  • European Distributed Generation
  • Distributed Generation in North America
  • Community Wind
  • Size of Community Wind Projects
  • Ownership Requirements
  • Investing in Wind Energy
  • Economics & Profitability
  • Subsidies & Incentives
  • Electricity Feed Laws
Wind Energy Professional Module 3
Wind Power & Wind Turbines                                                                                                                                         
  • Wind Turbine Classifications
  • Wind Turbine Specifications
  • Electricity Transmission Limitations
  • Total Peak Demand
  • Tax Considerations for Wind Power
  • Jobs in Wind Power Industry
  • Physics of Wind Power
  • Geography considerations
  • Variations in Wind Speed
  • Predicting Wind Speed
  • Site Requirements
  • Vertical Axis Wind Turbines
  • Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines
  • Blade Geometry
  • Comparison of Blade Types
  • Wind Turbine Performance
  • Blade Pitch Control
  • Testing Wind Turbines
Wind Energy Professional Module 4
Wind Turbines & Generators
  • Basic Parts of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines
  • The Nacelle & the Nacelle Bedplate
  • Rotor Hubs & Blade Types
  • Rotational Speed & Rotor Speed Control
  • Yaw Mechanism & Drives
  • Yaw Control & Drive Brakes
  • Data Acquisition & Communications
  • The Anemometer & Wind Vane
  • Basic Operation of the Programmable Logic Controller
  • PLC Inputs & Outputs
  • PLC Analog Control
  • Hydraulic Controls & Pumps
  • Hydraulic Cylinders & Motors
  • Brakes on Wind Turbines
  • AC & DC Electricity
  • Frequency of AC Voltage
  • Magnetic Theory
  • DC Generators & AC Motors
  • Asynchronous & Synchronous Generators
  • Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generators
Wind Energy Professional Module 5
Gearboxes, the Grid & Towers
  • Gearboxes & Direct Drive Systems
  • Advantages of Gear Ratios
  • Types of Gears
  • Gearbox Differential & Spur Gears
  • Drive Trains
  • Understanding the Grid
  • Transformers, Transmission, & Distribution
  • Grid Code Rules & Regulations
  • Utility Grid-Tied Net Metering
  • Voltage, True Power, & Reactive Power
  • System Grounding
  • Underground vs Overhead Feeder Circuits
  • Types of Wind Turbine Towers
  • Foundations & Concrete Support for Towers
  • Climbing Towers
  • Safety Issues with Towers
  • Lightening Safety for Wind Turbines
  • Tower Maintenance
Wind Energy Professional Module 6
Installation, Troubleshooting & Maintenances
  • Wind Site Assessment
  • Site Issues
  • Visual & Landscape Assessment
  • Commercial Wind Turbine Systems
  • Offshore Installations
  • Installation of a Wind Turbine
  • Troubleshooting Process
  • Troubleshooting Tables & Matrix
  • Generation & Transmission Problems
  • Mechanical & Tower Problems
  • Electrical & Hydraulic Problems
  • Major Overhaul of a Wind Turbine
  • Basic Electricity
  • Measuring Volts, Amps, & Ohms
  • Fundamentals of Electrical Circuits
  • Capacitors & Capacitive Reactance
  • Volt-Ampere Reactance (VAR)
  • Three Phase Transformers
  • PNP & NPN Transistors
  • Inverters: Changing DC Voltage to AC Voltage

All necessary materials are included.


System Requirements:

System Requirements:

Internet Connectivity Requirements:
  • Cable and DSL internet connections are recommended for the best experience.
Hardware Requirements:
  • CPU: 1 GHz or higher
  • RAM: 2 GB or higher
  • Resolution: 1280 x 720 or higher
  • Speakers / Headphones
  • Microphone (Webinar / Live Online sessions)
Operating System Requirements:
  • Microsoft Windows 7 or 10 (Home, Pro)
  • Mac OSX 10 or higher.
  • Latest Chrome OS
  • Latest Linux Distributions

NOTE: While we understand that our courses can be viewed on Android and iPhone devices, we do not recommend the use of these devices for our courses. The size of these devices do not provide a good learning environment for students taking online or live online based courses.

Web Browser Requirements:
  • Latest Google Chrome is recommended for the best experience.
  • Latest Mozilla FireFox
  • Latest Microsoft Edge
  • Latest Apple Safari
Basic Software Requirements (These are recommendations of software to use):
  • Office suite software (Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, or LibreOffice)
  • PDF reader program (Adobe Reader, FoxIt)
  • Courses may require other software that is denoted in the above course outline.


** The course outlines displayed on this website are subject to change at any time without prior notice. **