Data, Energy, and Wind Turbines: How Curiosity Drives Career Growth

We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Raluca Moroc, a data and tech leader who has spent the last 11 years working in the energy industry. Raluca has experience working at Siemens Gamesa, as well as at Vattenfall, where she most recently led the data management domain in the wind business area before transitioning to a new role.

Raluca still isn’t sure what exactly drew her to the energy industry, but she always knew she wanted to work with a product—and that product ended up being wind turbines. In this article, Raluca shares how curiosity has driven her to gain deep domain knowledge, which is essential for success in data and tech. She explains why simply having strong data skills isn’t enough—you need to pair them with an understanding of an industry’s complexities, which becomes much easier when you have a genuine passion and energy for the work you do.

Understanding the complexities 

One of the longest projects I worked on was at Siemens Gamesa, where my team built a wind turbine configurator that allowed our salespeople to tailor turbines based on customer needs, much like configuring a car online by selecting the engine, options, and features. It’s actually quite interesting because it’s not straightforward, and different countries have different regulations.

For example, with onshore turbines, sound emissions are a key factor. Turbines also have an optimal operating temperature range. When temperatures get too high or low the turbines can freeze or overheat, which affects performance. Turbines are also designed to last 25 years, sometimes even longer, but the way they are managed matters. They move a lot, and most are made of steel, which can wear out over time. The more turbulence they experience, the greater the degradation, which shortens their lifespan. To get the most out of them, it’s important to manage their operation carefully. For instance, stopping a turbine for an hour or two might reduce stress on the parts and extend its lifespan in the long run.

And when it comes to configuration, there’s a logic behind what combinations are possible and which aren’t. From a data perspective, it was interesting to see which options were most popular in different parts of the world, which then allowed us to identify where the business should invest, based on regional preferences.

The Power of Curiosity

I often reflect on the fact that, even though I’m a data professional, I now know a lot about wind turbines—and that’s mostly down to my curiosity. Everything I’ve ever learned comes from asking questions. The key thing when picking an industry to work in is figuring out what gives you energy. What sparks an innate curiosity within you?

To be successful in data, or in tech in general, you need to pair your knowledge with something else. You can’t just be a data scientist. You need a business and context understanding in order to work with data effectively. That’s why it’s important to pick an industry where you’re interested and driven enough to understand its intricacies. 

Find your Passion 

If you’re working with data science, for example, and you’re in the energy industry, there are still various things you can do. You could focus on trading or financial-related energy data, or work closer with asset-related data—wind turbines, solar panels, batteries, and so on. 

Choosing an industry that makes you excited to work in is crucial. If you’re early in your career and unsure, explore a few different industries and pay attention to where you find yourself reading more in your spare time, or what captures your attention for hours because you’re genuinely fascinated.

Overall, the key to advancing your tech career is choosing an area that interests you, and for me, that just happened to be wind turbines. At the end of the day, developing domain expertise is essential for success, but you also need the interest to deepen your understanding.

Stay curious, and success will follow.

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