GEV Wind Power values our extensive global portfolio of wind turbine technicians. We know how pivotal technicians are in an ever-evolving industry that is aiming to remove the planet’s dependency on fossil fuels.

GEV Wind Power recently interviewed; Darkon London-Wainwright, a wind turbine technician based in the UK, who hides a secret creative superpower when it comes to capturing spectacular digital imagery, having worked for GEV Wind Power since 2017, keeping us up to date with his travels.

In this blog, Darkon shares his account of how he has developed into becoming the talented and valued technician he is today, what it’s like to be a wind turbine technician, as well as his opinion on working for GEV Wind Power.

Interview:

Hi Darkon, could you please introduce yourself, and how you became a wind turbine technician?

Hi there, I am Darkon London-Wainwright and thank you for giving me the opportunity for being part of this interview.

As early as 2013, I had set my sights on a career in the wind industry. Back then, it was a little more difficult than it is today to get into the industry, as there were not as many opportunities worldwide as there are today. I knew I needed certifications and experience to be offered work, and in 2015, I was given my stepping stone into the rope access world. I started with a Geotechnical company to gain some much needed experience to become a wind turbine blade technician.

Fast forward to now, I couldn’t be more grateful to have been given that opportunity to prove myself, otherwise, without that experience, I might not have been able to do the job that I enjoy doing day-to-day!

Brilliant Darkon. Now that we know how you became a wind turbine technician, can you tell me what your favourite things about your job are?

I could list so many different aspects to why I love my job as a wind turbine technician, like meeting great people in the industry from all different backgrounds and countries!

However, the main reason has to be the freedom this role gives me. It was the key reason I worked towards a career in this industry in the first place. I love to travel and get to do a lot of travelling around the world, when out of season. I have managed to skip winter since 2016… What is not to love about that haha!

Sounds amazing. How about the toughest things?

There are only two issues that I find challenging about the role that are difficult to avoid. Firstly, communicating with family back home can be very difficult if you’re out on a Wind Service Operation Vessel (SOV) (read what it is like for our technicians who spend their time offshore on an SOV), which can be up to 90km offshore!

Secondly, is missing out on key events such as birthdays etc. These are two things that are just the way of the industry, and it’s something that you have to handle if you want to be successful in your wind turbine technician role.

Now that you have accounted for what it is like to be a wind turbine technician, could you share with our readers what are your thoughts about working for GEV Wind Power?

Having been with GEV for some years now, I have seen them grow and develop, going from strength to strength each year. They have supported me through great times, but also through hard ones too, especially in difficult times of bereavement.

They’re also giving me the opportunity to expand on my travelling by participating in projects all over Europe and even in the US! I cannot be thankful enough to GEV Wind Power for giving me these opportunities and their support and understanding throughout our time working together so far.

Everyone at GEV has noticed that you have an incredible eye for taking photos, have you always been a keen photographer, or is it something that you enjoy doing?

Strangely enough, it was just a hobby I picked up during lockdown to fight boredom. It has now snowballed, and I am constantly receiving bookings for portrait shoots outside of work rotations!

Another perk of the job is that I get to take images in locations that your average Joe would never have access to. For example, sunsets or sunrise at the heights of the rotor or deep offshore where you get to see the sun disappear below the curvature of the Earth.

Thanks Darkon. It is great to learn more about you, and we cannot wait to see some more of your brilliant image & video submissions!

See below some of Darkon’s fantastic image submissions.