On the surface very little, except for the enormous blades look like a propeller. There is enough commonality that Boeing in the early 1980s manufactured several wind turbines for the first wind farm.The blades on the wind turbine “pitch” in angle to create lift and stall. This is the primary means of speed regulation of the commercial wind turbine. This is the same exact concept behind a variable pitch aircraft propeller.
The blades on wind turbines are designed by aeronautical engineers. These individuals are often hired directly from the aircraft industry. Many of the materials in the wind turbine blades are similar or identical to the composite materials in aircraft and maritime applications.
Carbon fiber specifically is chosen for strength, flexibility and the stiffening properties in the blade. The blades after manufacture are tested in a jig that will test for flexibility and stress fractures. The device will also bend the blade to extremes to see if they break. The blade contours are very carefully designed to cut down on vibration and noise.
The profile of the wind turbine blade is nearly identical to an aircraft blade. The tips or ends of the blade generally canted back towards the tower. This is the same concept as the aircraft wings that are tipped upwards on the wing tips. This wings are fabricated in this manner to cancel out vortices, AKA mini tornadoes. These vortices create noise and destroy the aerodynamic efficiency of an aircraft or a wind turbine.
The individuals servicing and maintaining wind turbines are often ex-military, and frequently those with an aviation background. The wind turbine technician job growth rate is projected to at an incredible growth rate of 104% until at least 2024. Wind turbine manufacturers experiencing a deficit of skilled technical labor have also resorted to directly hiring out of aviation mechanics schools. Again much of the training, skill sets and concepts are largely similar.
In the final analysis there are enormous similarities. For the average person with training this presents a good job opportunity. Working on a wind turbine is essentially industrial maintenance at height. To boot it has a built in daily workout routine.