Texas Border Business
HARLINGEN, Texas – Roy Valdez, of Los Fresnos, learned of the renewable energy boom through his older brother Guadalupe, a TSTC Wind Energy Technology alumnus.
Now Roy Valdez is pursuing a certificate of completion in Wind Energy Technician at TSTC’s Harlingen campus.
The program has captivated his interest with such topics as how a wind turbine system works, troubleshooting, and additional issues that may occur in the wind turbine.
“During my first semester, I had the course DC Circuits,” he said. “I enjoyed it because it explained the fundamentals of direct current, which included DC series and DC parallel circuits, and the possibility to troubleshoot a resistor or another component.”
The Digital Fundamentals course also piqued his interest.
“The course explained how machines communicate to each other through numbering systems with zeros and ones,” he said. “This pertains to the input and output of what the machine is doing. If it is low, or zero, it means there is no current flowing. If it is high, or one, it means there is current flowing.”
While his education continues, the option to pursue an Associate of Applied Science degree in Wind Energy Technology becomes more appealing to him.
“My brother has suggested it will provide more opportunities as it did for him,” he said.
Guadalupe Valdez earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Wind Energy Technology from TSTC in 2017.
He began as a wind technician with One Wind Services (now Spark Power) in San Benito in 2017. He served as a wind technician for one year then transitioned to the position of site lead the following year. Two years later, the position of quality health and safety specialist followed. Recently he accepted the position of renewables technician, which marked five years with the company.
According to Guadalupe Valdez, what makes Spark Power a great company is its potential for career growth.
“I have been part of the company’s growth since I started,” he said. “You will always learn something new here. I have taken many individuals under my wing. Each has excelled and gone further than I could have imagined. It brings me great joy to know I was their mentor.”
He added that his brother has great potential for his own future career path.
“In life, my brother Roy has overcome many obstacles,” he said. “I know those experiences will make him a great leader.”
Wind turbine service technicians can earn an average of $52,420 per year in Texas, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Wind Energy Technology, as well as a certificate of completion in Wind Energy Technician, at its Harlingen and Sweetwater campuses.
To learn more about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.
