How Wind Turbine Technicians Risk Their Lives to Keep Blades Spinning | Risky Business

Narrator: A harness and a rope are the only tools keeping wind turbine technicians safe. Narrator: These turbines are about the size of a 35-floor skyscraper. Narrator: Just a few years ago, they weren't even possible to build.

Narrator: João Sardo and his partner are the only specialists who do these climbs for Generg, a renewable energy company in Portugal. And their job is in high demand, as more European countries adopt wind energy. We went inside and outside a wind turbine with João to see what makes his job such a risky business.

Wind turbines rarely break, but when they do, they're hard and expensive to fix. Narrator: That's why he always inspects everything from the ground first. Narrator: João is a trained mechanical engineer who joined Portugal's booming wind industry back in 2004.

Today, he's doing a routine inspection of a new turbine at a wind farm in the mountains of Caramulo. Narrator: Drnes have made his job much easier. They help him locate the damage before climbing.

One drone can check eight turbines in a day, while João and his partner take an entire day to inspect just one. But there are still things only human eyes and hands can find. Narrator: He wears special boots that don't have any metal so they're safe around electricity and leather gloves that won't burn if he needs to quickly rappel down the rope.

A crane hauls up a bag packed with ropes, rappelling gear, and other tools they'll need at the top. João is gonna climb up this metal ladder, because the elevator here is out of service. Narrator: This rail lifeline makes sure they don't get hurt if they miss a step.

As an extra safety measure, the turbine is turned off before each climb, but the transformer is live to keep the lights on. It's about 300 steps to the top. João usually stops once or twice to catch his breath when he feels his hands losing their grip.

After about 15 minutes, he reaches the nacelle, the heart of a wind turbine where the generator sits. Sometimes he has to deal with issues here, but today, he's checking the blades, so he steps outside. Narrator: João and his partner will inspect the blades from up close to make sure there's been no damage since it's been installed.

Narrator: Technicians always work in teams. Narrator: They use hammers to check for damage under the fiberglass surface. The sound tells them whether the materials are fracturing underneath.

João travels across Europe to train other professionals. A turbine technician normally makes about $36,000 a year, nearly double the average salary in Portugal. And João earns much more than that.

Narrator: One time, a colleague did get hurt. Narrator: The company João works for, Generg, doesn't manufacture turbines, but installs them throughout the country. The larger ones can generate 4.

8 megawatts of energy in an hour, that's enough to power 5,000 European homes. Portugal has been heavily investing in wind energy since the early 2000s, Today, 70% of Portugal's energy comes from renewable sources. Narrator: By 2040, the country expects to run only on renewables, but there are still challenges with transportation.

Narrator: João isn't really safe until he's back on the ground. Every second of the climb was dangerous. Narrator: But he says he still loves his job.