Contact

Welcome,
New User

Geothermal Technicians

Perform technical activities at power plants or individual installations necessary for the generation of power from geothermal energy sources. Monitor and control operating activities at geothermal power generation facilities and perform maintenance and repairs as necessary. Install, test, and maintain residential and commercial geothermal heat pumps.

View All

    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Install, maintain, or repair ground or water source-coupled heat pumps to heat and cool residential or commercial building air or water.
    • Install, maintain, or repair ground or water source-coupled heat pumps to heat and cool residential or commercial building air or water.
    • Monitor and adjust operations of geothermal power plant equipment or systems.
    • Collect and record data associated with operating geothermal power plants or well fields.
    • Design and lay out geothermal heat systems according to property characteristics, heating and cooling requirements, piping and equipment requirements, applicable regulations, or other factors.
    • Install and maintain geothermal system instrumentation or controls.
    • Install and maintain geothermal system instrumentation or controls.
    • Calculate heat loss and heat gain factors for residential properties to determine heating and cooling required by installed geothermal systems.
    • Maintain electrical switchgear, process controls, transmitters, gauges, and control equipment in accordance with geothermal plant procedures.
    • Maintain, calibrate, or repair plant instrumentation, control, and electronic devices in geothermal plants.
    • Prepare and maintain logs, reports, or other documentation of work performed.
    • Prepare and maintain logs, reports, or other documentation of work performed.
    • Identify equipment options, such as compressors, and make appropriate selections.
    • Install and maintain geothermal plant electrical protection equipment.
    • Weld piping, such as high density polyethylene (HDPE) piping, using techniques such as butt, socket, side-wall, and electro-fusion welding.
    • Test water sources for factors, such as flow volume and contaminant presence.
    • Integrate hot water heater systems with geothermal heat exchange systems.
    • Determine the type of geothermal loop system most suitable to a specific property and its heating and cooling needs.
    • Dig trenches for system piping to appropriate depths and lay piping in trenches.
    • Backfill piping trenches to protect pipes from damage.
    • Operate equipment, such as excavators, backhoes, rock hammers, trench compactors, pavement saws, grout mixers or pumps, geothermal loop reels, and coil tubing units (CTU).
    • Maintain, calibrate, or repair plant instrumentation, control, and electronic devices in geothermal plants.
    • Identify and correct malfunctions of geothermal plant equipment, electrical systems, instrumentation, or controls.
    • Determine whether emergency or auxiliary systems will be needed to keep properties heated or cooled in extreme weather conditions.
    • Install and maintain geothermal plant electrical protection equipment.
    • Prepare newly installed geothermal heat systems for operation by flushing, purging, or other actions.
    • Dig trenches for system piping to appropriate depths and lay piping in trenches.
    • Apply coatings or operate systems to mitigate corrosion of geothermal plant equipment or structures.
    • Adjust power production systems to meet load and distribution demands.
    • Identify and correct malfunctions of geothermal plant equipment, electrical systems, instrumentation, or controls.
    • Perform pre- and post-installation pressure, flow, and related tests of vertical and horizontal geothermal loop piping.

    Skills

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    4
    Workplace Documents
    4
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    Knowledge

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    Career Video

    Video not available
    Additional videos and more information available on CareerOneStop

    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 44100/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 21.2/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 7,870
    • Yearly Projected Openings 830

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Analytical Thinking
    • Integrity
    • Adaptability/Flexibility
    • Initiative

    Tools

    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Air samplers or collectors
    • Claw hammer
    • Coiled tubing units
    • Compactors
    • Deburring tool
    • Desktop computers
    • Flash butt welding machine
    • Grouting pump
    • Land drilling rigs
    • Locking pliers
    • Logging instruments for water wells
    • Microcontrollers
    • Notebook computers
    • Personal computers
    • Pipe bending tools
    • Pipe or tube cutter
    • Pipe vises
    • Pipe wrenches
    • Plaster or mortar mixers
    • Pneumatic impact wrenches
    • Power saws
    • Protective gloves
    • Pyrometers
    • Ratchets
    • Respirators
    • Safety glasses
    • Screwdrivers
    • Socket sets
    • Specialty wrenches
    • Spot welding machine
    • Stripping tools
    • Track excavators
    • Wire cutters

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Geographic information system
    • Industrial control software
    • Office suite software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software
    Need help on researching occupations and careers? Download the Guide to Researching Occupations (PDF).

    Need help on how to research education and training programs? Download the Guide to Higher Education (PDF).

    Budget Calculator

    Answer a few questions to determine your target salary. Use this target salary to help choose the right occupation for you.

    Lifestyle Calculator

    Answer a few questions to determine your target salary. Use this target salary to help choose the right occupation for you.

    Workforce Supply Tool

    Workforce Supply Tool

    The Workforce Supply Tool provides statistics for the occupations in highest demand throughout Ohio.

    You can view statewide statistics as well as more region specific information.

    Visit Site
    Powered By: