Wind workers

The construction headquarters at the northeast corner of U.S. 27 and county road 800 South has cleared out. The about 200 workers who built the wind farm that became operational in October are gone.

But the 57 turbines in southern Jay County and northern Randolph County don’t operate all by themselves.

Bluff Point Wind Energy Center has a permanent staff of five, including a Jay County native.

Jason Schmiesing, who lives in southeastern Jay County, was interested in the technology involved in the wind farm. He talked with some of the employees from Blattner Energy, which built the facility for NextEra, working near his property and decided to apply online.

“For us, this is new,” said Schmiesing, who is now one of the four wind technicians on staff. “This is the latest and greatest and it’s just really exciting for me.”

Joining him as wind techs are Tanner Swartz, who came from South Bend, and Emily Brun and Nicholas Ruby, both from Michigan. Brun had previous experience working at Tuscola Bay Wind Farm in Fairgrove, Michigan, while the others are first-time wind techs.

Kip Eldred, who has been in the wind energy industry for 15 years, serves as the site supervisor. He has been with NextEra since 2004, and previously served as supervisor for Mountaineer Energy Center in Tucker County, West Virginia.

“I just had an opportunity to be part of a new site to start up and new technology, so I took advantage of it,” said Eldred.

All five employees work a standard 40-hour week, on the job together for eight-hour shifts Monday through Friday. They rotate being on call 24/7 for a week at a time; Schmiesing’s week was Jan. 8 through 15.

A typical day begins with a meeting at the operations and maintenance center on county road 800 South, between U.S. 27 and county road 100 West. It’s currently merely a trailer, with the permanent building expected to be open in March.

They discuss safety, environmental factors, how the site is running and set up the plan for the day. That could involve preventative maintenance, troubleshooting and inspecting.

As supervisor, the rest of Eldred’s day involves big-picture issues. He does a lot of reporting about how the site is running and helps with managing the budget.

For the wind techs, daily work revolves around making sure the wind turbines are operating properly. Inspections vary, some in the comfort of the operations and maintenance center and others on site.

“Our inspections can be as simple as being on the computer making sure that the turbine is running correctly,” said Schmiesing, “but also going out and doing a visual, especially this time of year.”

Those live looks are key at this time of year because of the need to keep an eye out for snow or ice on the blades that could affect the way they are operating.

Every aspect of the turbines — the brake system, rotor locks, pitch, speed and vibration among them — is monitored electronically, with the techs able to pull up an overall view of the 57 turbines. They are color-coded, with green meaning they are working well, blue that they are operational but not moving fast enough to go online and orange, yellow and red that they are in various phases of maintenance.

“If it starts looking like Christmas lights, you might have a problem,” said Brun.

How often the techs make climbs up and down the interior of the turbines for inspection varies.

Currently, Schmiesing said he does about three climbs per week. When the wind farm is in one of its biannual maintenance cycles, that might increase to as many as three per day.

Though there is a lift-assist that takes off 120 pounds, all techs must be able to make the 300-foot climb solo. With the lift assist, it takes about six minutes, Schmiesing said. Without it, it takes about 15 minutes.

“It’s awesome. It’s challenging, but at the same time it’s really neat,” said Schmiesing, explaining that the climb up is more of a workout for the upper body while the climb down works the legs. “It’s tall. You keep going and you wonder if that ladder ever ends.”

Schmiesing’s interest in a job at Bluff Point grew from a life of working hands-on, starting with farming and then in trade-related classes in high school. He was employeed at Moser Engineering from 1999 to 2014, including 13 years as its maintenance manager before leaving to run his own business full-time.

He continues to operate Sneezers, a small-engine repair and parts shop, while working for NextEra.

With no prior experience in wind energy, Schmiesing underwent wind tech training at NextEra’s Iowa Training Facility in Grimes, Iowa, just northwest of Des Moines. That involved learning about alignment inspections, electrical components and procedures, as well as practices on hydraulic systems.

It also meant learning all about a word that continued to pop up over and over again as Schmiesing and Eldred talked about their jobs.

Safety.

“By following our safety procedures, this is all preventative behavior,” said Rebecca Rivera, a communications specialist for NextEra. “From the wind techs’ personal protective equipment to the policies and procedures that Kip ensures our followed, it keeps our employees safe. Safety has deep roots in NextEra Energy Resources culture.”

Schmiesing said it’s been the depth of the safety protocols that has surprised him the most. He points out that preparation for a 15-minute job might take two hours. Personal protective equipment ranges from hard hats to high-voltage gloves with a rubber interior and leather exterior to harnesses required for climbing. And all work clothes must be cotton with no logos or decals in order to prevent arcing (an electrical current flowing through the air gap between conductors).

Beyond that, the most challenging aspect has been learning about all of the wiring and control systems involved in the turbines. While the motor and gear box are fairly standard, he said, the electronics are much more complicated.

Overall, Schmiesing has enjoyed that challenge, and the new job as a whole.

“You’re outside,” he said. “You’re up in the towers. You’re not stuck indoors all day long.

“It’s been awesome. It’s exceeded my expectations.”