On April 12, 2019, J.D. and LL.M. students toured of the Sweetwater Wind Warm, one of the largest wind farms in the world. The tour was led by Rod Wetsel, a recognized leader in wind energy and a former adjunct professor at Texas Law. During the tour, the students first listened to a presentation on wind turbine operation by the project manager at Leeward Wind Energy. They then got a presentation on wind turbine power monitoring and went inside an operation wind turbine. After leaving the wind farm, they visited 69 Ranch, which has over 100 wind turbines covered by one of the first wind leases in Nolan County. At Ranch 69, the students heard presentations on the impact of wind energy on the Sweetwater and West Texas economy by the director of Sweetwater Enterprise for Economic Development and local landowners in the surrounding wind projects. The wind tour concluded with a driving tour to observe E.On’s Roscoe Wind Project, the third largest wind farm in the world. The students got to network with attorneys and others involved in wind energy over a BBQ lunch. The wind tour was a great complement to the master class led by Wetsel two months prior, on February 22, 2019. During the master class, Wetsel trained law students and local attorneys on how to negotiate and draft a wind lease, with a look at international and comparative perspectives. The master class and the wind tour were made possible by a Networking Grant from the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation.
Texas Law Students Tour Sweetwater Wind Farm
