Column by Tuhfe Göçmen, Senior Researcher at DTU and Head of DigiWind. Published in Energy Supply, October 2024.
We have scaled up the technology, but we also need to scale up and upskill our workforce to reach our goals. In the installation of wind turbines and wind power plants alone, we will need twice as many skilled workers in a few years. And the need for qualified labour in the wind industry will only grow in the future—also outside Denmark. According to the organization WindEurope, by 2030 there will be a need for over 500,000 more people in the European workforce (directly and indirectly), corresponding to an increase of more than 60 per cent in the number of jobs in just six years.
At the same time, the wind industry is facing a digitalization that requires the workforce in the industry, from engineers and researchers to installers, technicians, and service employees, to acquire new digital skills.
Who will do the green work?
We both need to educate engineers from scratch and continue to train professionals and skilled workers, so they acquire the right skills to develop and drive the green transition into the digital era. And we need to act now if we are to future-proof the wind industry, because education takes time and costs money. Therefore, educating the technology leaders of the future is one of the focus areas in a new strategy that DTU Wind and Energy Systems has just launched.
DTU collaborates with four other strong wind nations to offer digital education programmes through the DigiWind project. The programme provides advanced digital skills and is 100 per cent online and in virtual learning environments. This approach enables us to deliver excellent education at scale across borders, regardless of the geographical location of wind turbines, test facilities, companies, and students.
In this way, we can meet the need for education both in Denmark and globally, as there is no limit to how many we can educate. But to realize our goals, companies in the energy sector must embrace the digital transformation and invest in the training of their workforce—starting today.
Digital skills are crucial
Like several other sectors in society, the energy sector is facing digitalization. This also applies to the wind industry, which—in order to remain competitive and efficient—needs to integrate and take into account new digital technologies such as high-performance computing, cybersecurity, digital twins, AI.
For example, there is great potential in using AI to process and analyse data from wind turbines and wind power plants. The technology will, among other things. enable predicting power generation and prices. AI can also be used to optimize the shape and function of the blades to minimize noise pollution. The development of so-called digital twins, which are a digital copy of, for example, a wind turbine or a wind power plant, can make testing and development much more efficient and safer.
In addition to the acquisition of advanced digital skills, training the wind industry workforce is also about retraining professionals and breaking down barriers between disciplines.
The education programmes are therefore aimed at both new and experienced professionals who want to work in the wind industry, but who lack knowledge of wind energy and energy systems. And at engineers, technicians, and researchers who are already working with wind and energy systems and who need to upgrade their digital skills.
We can move quickly—can you?
The wind industry is growing and, in a few years, will employ more and more people. Just as DTU collaborates with the business community on the development of wind energy and energy systems, we are also ready to collaborate on the development and upskilling of the workforce.
Typically, it takes at least five years to integrate the skills that the business community demands into training programmes and provide graduates with the new skills. With DTU’s continuing education courses, we can move quickly and help you with the digital transformation.
Only by working together can we ensure that we have enough qualified minds and hands to realize the transformation to renewable energy. Tell us what challenges your employees and teams are struggling with, and we can find the right course for you or tailor programmes and training courses to your company. For example, courses that enable you to collaborate effectively on the use of data from wind power plants with the latest digital technologies.
DTU is a frontrunner in wind technology and energy system research, and we take responsibility for educating the technical managers and employees of the future who will drive the green transition. However, in order to achieve the climate goals for 2030 and 2050, the energy sector companies must prioritize and allocate resources to educate and upskill their workforce, starting today.
