Passage III

Climbing Mt. Windmill

[1]

They’re some 45,000 electricity-generating wind turbines in the United States, and the task of repairing and maintaining these huge machines have represented a substantial undertaking. Ladders inside the towers simplify access to the generators and controllers within the turbine housing. In contrast, servicing the turbine blades those long fiberglass vanes that slice through the air, is a serious challenge.

[2]

[A] Rock climbers are comfortable in high places and capable, equipped with rope and other simple gear, of scaling almost anything. After completing specialized training, rock climbers become ideal “rope technicians.”

[3]

When the rope technicians arrive across a turbine, they first lock the blades into a “bunny ears” position, in which two blades angle up and one blade points straight down. The technicians climb the ladder inside the tower, secure themselves with ropes and harnesses, open a hatch in the turbine’s housing, and rappel down the vertical blade.

[4]

Certainly, turbine blades withstand severe stress. The blades zip through the elements as fast as 200 miles per hour, braving heat, hail, blizzards, and more. Yet despite enduring such harsh conditions, most turbine blades that rope technicians service only need a thorough cleaning or other basic upkeep, such as a new coat of paint. [B] Sometimes, the task can be more complicated: patching fiberglass damage from a lightning strike, for example.

[5]

The largest wind turbine blades are over 270 feet long. Technicians work in pairs; while they don’t climb in high winds, extreme temperatures, or precipitation. Whether there’s lightning within thirty miles, the technicians stay on the ground. [C] Precautions such as these—along with rigorous procedures and training, make the job quite safe.

[6]

For many rock climbers, being a rope technician is a dream job. [D] Fresh air, great vistas, to practice climbing daily, and ample time off to scale actual rocks—it’s not a typical job description, is it?