February 19-20; Austin Convention Center; Austin, TX

There is no single answer to this question because every lease agreement is different. Leases are binding legal documents and it may be difficult to get out of one. Thus, it is extremely important to understand completely the agreement you are signing into before you sign it. If you happen to find yourself in a situation in which you want to be released from a lease agreement, you should hire a lawyer that has experience dealing with wind leases and easements.

Watch Windustry's web-based presentation on Wind Energy Easements from May 9th, 2007.
(Presented in conjunction with Colorado State University Extension Service and Iowa State University Extension Service.)

This publication was developed for Winrock International Brasil by Global Energy Concepts, and covers many aspects of wind project development, including a survey or lease terms and a model lease agreement. Click here to download the file from the Winrock website.

This document was writted by Stoel Rives Attorney Samual J. Panarella, March 2004. Also adapted for North American Windpower in September 2004 and The Law of Wind: A Guide to Business and Legal Issues, Third Edition, 2005. Click here to go to the Stoel Rives web site.

PDF Version
In the United States, leasing land to wind energy developers continues to be the most common way rural landowners are participating in wind energy. As the wind industry grows, wind developers are increasing the amount of land they are leasing to keep their future market share from slipping away. Because of this, landowners in windy areas need solid advice about wind energy and what signing a wind energy lease or easement means to both them and future generations who will inherit the land.