More than a decade ago, Jacob Madsen was climbing turbines daily, troubleshooting equipment and working side-by-side with technicians and construction crews in the field. Today, as Associate Director of Solar Operations, his responsibilities may look very different, but the experiences that shaped him haven’t changed.
In fact, they’re still front of mind every time he visits a site.
“I think it’s important to be on projects, to make sure we have a pulse on everything and understand the challenges that maybe the techs have that day, or certain regions have different challenges, different technologies,” Madsen said.
That connection to the field has been a constant throughout his career. While he has moved from wind to solar and from technician to leader, he still believes some of the most important lessons he learned came from working in the field.
“I think it allows me to have a little bit of empathy for what a technician goes through day in and day out,” he said.
For Madsen, that perspective matters. While a solar technician and a wind technician may not perform the same work, many of the realities are familiar: safety expectations, electrical hazards, long days, changing conditions and the responsibility that comes with keeping critical infrastructure operating safely and reliably.
It is also one of the reasons he believes listening is so important.
“Everybody has a role, and everybody has to have a voice,” Madsen said.
That belief was reinforced during a recent visit to Los Vientos.
Coming Full Circle at Los Vientos
Madsen first visited Los Vientos wind site during its construction, supporting commissioning activities and quality walkdowns as the project was coming together.
Returning to the site 10 years later brought back memories of an earlier chapter in his career.
“It kind of came full circle,” he said.
The visit included something he hadn’t done in nearly nine years: climbing a wind turbine.
Standing inside again, especially on a triple-digit September Texas day, served as a reminder of the work technicians perform every day across Deriva’s fleet.
“You can see what those technicians go through across our entire wind fleet, but certainly in South Texas,” he said. “What they do day in, and day out really can’t be understated.”
It was a familiar environment, but also a reminder of just how physically demanding the work can be. The heat, the climb and the constant attention to safety all brought him back to experiences he once encountered every day.
For Madsen, spending time at sites isn’t just about understanding equipment or reviewing performance; It’s about understanding the people responsible for maintaining it.
A Career Built on Curiosity
“I’ve enjoyed wind, still enjoy wind,” he said. “I was drawn to solar and just a new challenge.”
That willingness to try something new is also one of the pieces of advice he shares with technicians who are early in their careers.
When asked what he would tell someone just starting out in energy, his answer came quickly:
“Absorb everything.”
Throughout his career, Madsen has worked with different technologies, different teams, and different regions of the country. Along the way, he learned that some of the most valuable experiences come from stepping into unfamiliar situations, working alongside new people, and taking on assignments that stretch your skill set.
He believes there is value in learning from everyone around you, whether it is a supervisor, a peer, a contractor or a subject matter expert passing through site for a specific project. Looking back, those experiences helped shape not only his technical knowledge, but his perspective.
The titles have changed over the years, but in many ways, the work that mattered most to Madsen then still matters now: understanding the challenges teams face, listening to their ideas and making sure they’re heard. It’s a perspective he developed in the field and one he has carried with him ever since.