You’ve probably seen them; those large wind turbines that are often located along the highway. You can already see them looming in the distance because they cannot be missed. “They can be up to 140 meters high,” says Pieter Sturm. As a wind turbine technician, he climbs in every day and that’s not really your average job. “I always thought this work would be fun, but I don’t know why”, laughs Pieter. “I think because it is an adventurous profession and not everyday. And who can say that he has been in a windmill, no one?”
Put on a helmet, special harness and then climb up about 60 meters with a small, narrow staircase. Pieter Sturm from Woensdrecht performs this routine every day. He decided a year ago to quit his job in the Air Force and completely change course: “I had never been in a windmill before and had no idea what to expect.”
The work is certainly adventurous, because according to Pieter it is not without danger. “You are never allowed to go up alone, someone always has to come with you if things go wrong. You have to be able to save each other, everyone here knows what to do in an emergency. Of course you hope that this will not happen, but you always have to be prepared are.”
That way Pieter knows exactly what to do in an emergency. “If lightning strikes, a fire can break out. Then a wind turbine is like a chimney. Then you have to go down as quickly as possible, but you can’t do that via the stairs. Then you have to abseil down the outside.”
And so Pieter, just like his colleagues, knows how to do that. “But luckily I’ve never experienced that,” laughs Pieter.
“You have to be able to save each other.”
But Pieter also experiences beautiful moments. Because on top of a wind turbine about 100 meters high, the view is of course fantastic. “I think the best thing about this work is the nature and the view. I have sometimes experienced standing outside on the roof and seeing seals in the water in the distance.”
And he regularly enjoys that. “What many people don’t know”, says Pieter, “is that we have lunch on top of the roof when the weather is nice. You hear the birds, you have a beautiful view, that’s really enjoyable!”
Curious what such a wind turbine looks like on the inside? In the video below you can see how bonny Lola walks along for a day and goes upstairs!
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