Rock climbers & Thrill seekers/"What the clean energy future looks like from a 262-foot wind turbine

[Budi]

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ARTICLE- LATimes

What the clean energy future looks like from a 262-foot wind turbine

https://www.latimes.com/environment/newsletter/2021-06-24/what-clean-energy-looks-like-from-a-262-foot-wind-turbine-boiling-point

Hundreds of feet above the ground, suspended by ropes and battered by powerful winds, Matthew Kelly is living his best life.

Kelly is a wind turbine technician, and my colleague Brian van der Brug recently took pictures of him repairing a fiberglass blade at a wind farm in California’s Montezuma Hills, at the northeastern end of the Bay Area. Brian’s pictures are worth a thousand words and then some.

SNIP
Kelly works for Rope Partner, which is based in Santa Cruz and was founded by rock climber Chris Bley in 2001.
Bley was inspired by a chance encounter in Joshua Tree National Park with two German climbers who made a living scaling construction sites and churches that needed repairs. His timing couldn’t have been better, given the rapid growth of the American wind energy industry.

Rope Partner has a roster of about 100 technicians, according to the company’s vice president of business development, Lucas Llado. Many of them are climbers, rafters, skiers and other adventurous outdoors types who spend part of the year scaling wind turbines. The winter months are the slowest for repairs, with jobs picking up as the weather improves in the spring.


Here’s a shot of Kelly perched on the damaged blade, putting his rock climbing background to good use:


Matthew Kelly lowers himself to the ground from a wind turbine.(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

*SNIP
Median pay for a wind turbine technician is $56,230 per year, or $27.03 per hour — well above the national median wage of $41,950, or $20.17 per hour, according to the federal agency.
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[Enter stage left]

1. I was Army Airborne from 64-70 and loved it...

but I don't think I'd have the bal...courage to do what they're doing.

[Budi]

2. Admirable credit to you, nonetheless 👍

I actually think the $52,000 salary for half a year's work is ok.
Was thinking more like $70+ thousand-ish just for the skill & ba--s required.

Guess for 6 months it's not a bad deal.
It'd give them winter months to ski & climb rock cliffs for fun.

[House of Roberts]

3. I used to erect CB radio towers for people in the 70s.

I never worked more than 50 feet up doing that, and now I get jelly legged looking off a one story parking garage.

I'd have a panic attack long before I got to 262 feet up.