Biomass Plant Technicians

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Operate valves, pumps, engines, or generators to control and adjust production of biofuels or biomass-fueled power.
• Operate valves, pumps, engines, or generators to control and adjust production of biofuels or biomass-fueled power.
• Perform tests of water chemistry in boilers.
• Perform routine maintenance or make minor repairs to mechanical, electrical, or electronic equipment in biomass plants.
• Inspect biomass power plant or processing equipment, recording or reporting damage and mechanical problems.
• Record or report operational data, such as readings on meters, instruments, and gauges.
• Operate equipment to heat biomass, using knowledge of controls, combustion, and firing mechanisms.
• Manage parts and supply inventories for biomass plants.
• Perform tests of water chemistry in boilers.
• Operate equipment to start, stop, or regulate biomass-fueled generators, generator units, boilers, engines, or auxiliary systems.
• Inspect biomass power plant or processing equipment, recording or reporting damage and mechanical problems.
• Measure and monitor raw biomass feedstock, including wood, waste, or refuse materials.
• Calibrate liquid flow devices or meters, including fuel, chemical, and water meters.
• Assess quality of biomass feedstock.
• Read and interpret instruction manuals or technical drawings related to biomass-fueled power or biofuels production equipment or processes.
• Inspect biomass power plant or processing equipment, recording or reporting damage and mechanical problems.
• Calculate, measure, load, or mix biomass feedstock for power generation.
• Operate high-pressure steam boiler or water chiller equipment for electrical cogeneration operations.
• Preprocess feedstock to prepare for biochemical or thermochemical production processes.
• Calculate, measure, load, or mix biomass feedstock for power generation.
• Operate biomass fuel-burning boiler or biomass fuel gasification system equipment in accordance with specifications or instructions.
• Calculate, measure, load, or mix biomass feedstock for power generation.
• Clean work areas to ensure compliance with safety regulations.
• Operate heavy equipment, such as bulldozers and front-end loaders.

Skills

• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.

Abilities

• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

Knowledge

• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• 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.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• 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.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• 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.
• 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.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• 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.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• 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.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• 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.

Education

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

More than 1 year on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

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Education and Training Opportunities

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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

124050/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

59.64/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

370

Yearly Projected Openings

40

Personality

Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:

• Dependability
• Attention to Detail
• Cooperation
• Stress Tolerance
• Adaptability/Flexibility
• Initiative

Tools

• Air dryers
• Batching plants or feeders
• Belt conveyors
• Conveyor feeders
• Desktop computers
• Dump trucks
• Extendable conveyors
• Fire tube boilers
• Front end loaders
• Grinding mills
• Hammer mills
• Intake structures
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers
• Steam engines
• Steam generators
• Truck or rail scales
• Water samplers
• Water tube boiler

Technology

• Analytical or scientific software
• Development environment software
• Electronic mail software
• Industrial control software
• Inventory management software
• Office suite software
• Spreadsheet software
• Word processing software