Students discover the many career paths into the wind energy industry

Wind energy involves much more than the wind turbine itself. Materials technology, aerodynamics, corrosion, structural engineering, environmental considerations and politics are just some of the areas that need to work together.

Mechanical engineering students from OsloMet had the opportunity to see this first-hand when they attended the WindEurope Annual Event 2026 in Madrid. The trip was supported by OsloMet’s Green Energy Lab.

The event brought together more than 15,000 participants and over 600 exhibitors from the wind energy industry. For the students, it was an opportunity to meet companies, attend technical sessions and learn more about the career opportunities and engineering challenges in wind energy.
“It was exciting to see just how many different things you can actually work on in wind energy,” says Renata Gaynullina, a master’s student in mechanical engineering at OsloMet.

Study programme

Mechanical Engineering
- Master's degree
- 2 years
- 120 ECTS credits
- Pilestredet Campus, Oslo
- Full-time

A field with many career paths

The students have different reasons for being interested in wind energy.
Simon Maag previously worked in the mechanical engineering industry in Germany and was involved in a project related to manufacturing moulds for wind turbine blades. He highlights energy security as an important reason for his interest.

“Being able to become less dependent on other countries and fossil energy resources is very interesting, particularly when you come from Germany,” he says.

For Gabriele Simone Pipino, who has a background in aerospace engineering in Italy and is now researching floating offshore wind at OsloMet, aerodynamics is an important route into the field.

“I’ve always been interested in fluid mechanics and aerodynamics. Over time, I realised that wind energy could combine this interest with something that could benefit the environment and society,” he says.

Gabriele also believes that floating offshore wind presents particularly interesting engineering challenges. The turbines are not fixed directly to the seabed, and the movement of the structures makes the interaction between the wind, turbine and foundation more complex.

Seeing how theory can be applied in practice

For the students who travelled to Madrid, one of the benefits was being able to connect what they learn at OsloMet with real-world challenges facing the industry.

In one of their courses, the students had studied corrosion in wind turbines. At the conference, they were able to visit a company specialising in surface treatment and wind turbine protection and discuss precisely this issue.

“We spoke to lots of companies and heard about what they do. When we were working on an assignment about corrosion, we could speak directly to a company that works with coatings for wind turbines. That helped us learn more about something we had already studied,” says Hedda Elise Torp Sandnes.

Another student explains that the contacts made in Madrid continued to be useful after they returned home.

“We made a lot of use of what we saw at the conference. I made contacts with people I still talk to about assignments and what we are learning,” says Andrés Vignes Erga.

For Hedda, the trip may also influence her choice of topic when writing her master’s thesis.

“I’m considering writing my master’s thesis on wind turbines or offshore structures. The conference gave me ideas and a better understanding of what I could explore further.”

More than just technology

The trip to Madrid also showed the students that developing wind energy is not simply about making turbines generate as much energy as possible.

One of the presentations they attended explored how offshore wind developments need to take marine life into account. Other discussions focused on fisheries and how wind energy developers need to work with other users of marine areas.

“There were so many factors I had never thought about before,” says Hedda.

The students point out that wind energy therefore requires expertise from many disciplines beyond mechanical engineering.

Engineers need to collaborate with biologists and other specialists, while technical solutions must also take the natural environment, businesses and local communities into account.

The political dimension is also part of the picture. Energy supply, the green transition and Europe’s dependence on imported energy sources were recurring themes in conversations with the students.

“If we invest more in wind energy, particularly offshore wind, Europe could become less dependent on energy from other parts of the world,” says Andrés.

Gabriele Simone Pipino at the wind tunnel at OsloMet. Photo: Private

“You are building something that benefits society”

The students believe wind energy could appeal to prospective engineering students precisely because the field is so broad.

It brings together mechanics, materials technology, aerodynamics, manufacturing, structural engineering and energy. At the same time, the technology is still evolving.

“There will always be something you can improve, even in very small, specialised areas. Nothing is set in stone,” says Simon.

For him, making a contribution to society is an important motivation for working with the technology.

“You can use your engineering knowledge to build something that actually benefits society. For me, that is more motivating than designing the next car that will just be one of a million.”

Renata Gaynullina believes the combination of societal benefits and engineering challenges makes wind energy an attractive field for students.

“There are so many different paths you can take. You can work in manufacturing, materials technology, aerodynamics or on how wind turbines are installed on land or offshore. It is precisely this variety that makes the field so exciting.”