This week, we shine the Scholar Spotlight on Kerry Mackenzie, Class of 2022. Kerry is majoring in government and Plan II Honors and is currently studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. While abroad, she is concentrating on the relevant topics of sustainability and renewable energy. Learning from one of the most knowledgeable advocates on the subject, Professor Carlos Robles, Kerry has had the opportunity to gain some exciting first-hand experience—much of which hits close to home.

“Since Carlos is well known around Denmark as a renewables advocate, we’ve supplemented each of our lessons with in-person tours of different key renewable spaces," Kerry says.

"Last week, we even did a day study tour of different research, production, and supply chain spaces in the Danish renewable industry. Highlights included getting to climb and stand on the top of a medium-sized wind turbine, questioning a district government official after a presentation regarding the area’s plan to become a 100 percent clean energy consumer by 2025, learning at a research center where the first modern wind energy was developed, a bike tour of Copenhagen to learn about sustainable city planning, and visiting the site of the previously largest wind turbine in the world, which was built by the surrounding community of hippies in protest of government reinvestment in renewables. Of special interest to me was a discussion with many industry professionals about their thoughts on Texas’s ERCOT. I hope to learn more about solar power and complete a final presentation on solutions to ERCOT’s energy planning.”

Kerry is the recipient of the Waltrip/Texas Exes Fort Worth Chapter Forty Acres Scholarship. Read more about her here.

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