Sweetwater Wind and LRE Foundation Support Texas KidWind Challenge

When a major sponsor withdrew from the KidWind Sweetwater Challenge in Texas, LRE’s Sweetwater Wind facilities and the LRE Foundation stepped in to keep the event moving forward.

The KidWind Challenge is a hands-on STEM competition where middle and high school students showcase small-scale wind turbines and solar homes they design and build. The event is part of KidWind, a global program that helps educators bring clean energy into the classroom.

For the third year, the Challenge was held in Sweetwater, Texas, home to LRE’s Sweetwater Wind 1–5 projects.

Sweetwater 4–5 Plant Manager Andy Limones learned about the event through local industry contacts and reached out across LRE to see how the company could help.

“Once I found out I reached out to different groups at LRE including Public Affairs, Development, the LRE Foundation and the other Sweetwater facilities,” Andy said. “Combined, we were able to make a pretty significant donation to support the KidWind Challenge in Sweetwater.”

“Supporting KidWind checked all the boxes in terms of community support,” he added. “It’s about renewables and it’s STEM related; it was a great match.”

The support came at a critical moment.

“LRE and Sweetwater bailed us out,” said KidWind Founder and CEO Michael Arquin. “We’re working to make teachers and students smarter about renewables, but we can’t do it without community partners like Sweetwater and LRE.”

Andy Limones and Sweetwater 1–3 Plant Manager Kenny Hope also attended the event at Texas State Technical College, answering questions from students about wind energy and careers in renewables.

Andy Limones and Sweetwater 1–3 Plant Manager Kenny Hope also attended the event at Texas State Technical College, answering questions from students about wind energy and careers in renewables.

“It was a really cool event,” Andy said. “These are very smart and engaged students who were asking wind-specific questions but also about jobs and careers in renewable energy. I was impressed and proud to represent Sweetwater Wind and LRE.”

About LRE

Founded in Texas in 2003, LRE (Leeward Renewable Energy) owns and operates 30+ wind, solar, and energy storage projects totaling over 4GW nationwide. LRE continues to help meet increased U.S. energy demand through our robust pipeline of new projects every year. We prioritize domestic jobs, local community partnerships, and protecting the land in our long-term approach to meet American energy needs. To learn more, visit www.lreus.com.