Meet Monica Maher—A True Clean Energy Champion

How did you get into wind energy? 

I worked as a construction engineer on projects to retrofit fossil-fueled boilers at power plants. We all depend on electricity, and it was fascinating to learn about power generation, fluctuating power demand on daily and seasonal timescales, how power is dispatched to balance demand, etc. At some point colleagues were saying that “HRSGs are the future” and I was disheartened that people didn’t typically envision renewable energy as the future. Later I heard that offshore wind energy might be a promising as a type of clean energy generation, and that really piqued my interest. I wanted to get into offshore wind and went back to school to help pivot my career. 

What's your favorite thing about wind energy? 

It’s clean! And the industry is burgeoning which offers exciting opportunities for lots for things like new technologies, new markets, new jobs, and new opportunities for supporting industries. 

Any advice for people wanting to work in wind? 

There are lots of different roles that contribute to the wind energy industry. Even without wind-specific experience, there’s a good chance your background could bring value to a role in wind. My career path has not been a straight line and I’m surprised how often my past experiences are helpful in my current job. Some businesses work on wind projects some of time and other markets some of the time, so keep an eye out for those opportunities too.