Community Benefit Agreements

Wind Energy Community Benefits Database

This searchable database reflects community benefit agreements (CBAs), community benefit funds, donations, and other forms of benefits from land-based and offshore wind energy developments in the U.S. compiled by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) from 2022 to 2024.

If you would like to submit a CBA that is not represented in this database, please email windcommunitybenefits@nrel.gov .

For more information about how community benefits are developed and the role they play in wind energy development, please visit the Wind Energy Community Benefits Guide. Learn more about the community impacts of wind farms.

What Forms of Community Benefits Does This Database Include?

Community benefits for wind energy projects can be structured in many ways, but the following categories are the most common and are the focus of this database:
Developers and representatives of a government or community may sign an agreement stating the benefits that will be provided from a project and detailing the mechanisms and timelines for delivering benefits. Terminology may vary, depending on factors like the type of infrastructure or who the signatories are. Common names or types include community benefit agreement, host community agreement, good neighbor agreement, and tribal benefit agreement.
Developers may provide payments, donations, or other financial benefits to a local or Tribal government outside of the bounds of a formal agreement; these are often one-time payments.
Developers may establish funds that distribute funding to different causes or recipients in the community over time, often through the form of grants. Terminology and structure may vary, with common names or types including community benefit fund, community fund, or scholarship fund.
Developers may directly donate or contribute to local organizations, programs, or causes in the community (e.g., schools, fire departments, community service organizations).
291 results Download
Project Name
State
County
Form of Benefit
Additional Form
Infrastructure Type
Number of Turbines
Generating Capacity (MW)
Year Built
Banner Peak Alaska Nome Census Area Other Land-based wind energy project 18 2.8 2008
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Nome Joint Utility Systems / Alaska Energy Authority

  • The Bering Straits Native Corporation Board of Directors passed a resolution requiring that 50% of all their profits from the Banner Peak wind project be reinvested in renewable energy projects in the 17 villages of the Bering Straits Region.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Chevelon Butte I & II Arizona Coconino County, Navajo County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 106 454 2023
Developed, Owned, or Operated by AES

  • AES has supported local organizations and events, including the Willow Bend Environmental Education Center (with a goal of improving curriculum for K-12 renewable energy programs), A Taste of Winslow, and the Winslow Library.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Perrin Ranch Arizona Coconino County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 62 99 2012
Developed, Owned, or Operated by NextEra Energy Resources

  • Perrin Ranch Wind donated $500,000 to High Country Fire-Rescue for land, planning, engineering, and construction of a fire station near the wind project site. The station was constructed in 2013; prior to this, High Country-Fire Rescue had no fire station.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
CADEMO California Federal waters Formal agreement Offshore wind energy project 4 60 Not yet built
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Floventis Energy

  • In 2023, CADEMO and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians signed a community benefit agreement for the proposed CADEMO floating offshore wind energy project being developed by Floventis Energy. The agreement includes Tribal consultation in state and federal environmental reviews, support for a Traditional Cultural Landscape Study to be conducted by the Tribe, and the Tribe gaining naming rights for the project. The agreement also creates a new nonprofit research institute that will be established and operated by the Tribe; the institute will develop Tribal oceanographic expertise and best practice for environmental comanagement of ocean and coastal resources and the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. Additionally, CADEMO and the Tribe will collaborate with the Tri-Counties Building and Construction Trades Council and California community colleges to develop education and training programs for topics like Tribal collaborative management of offshore resources, environmental reviews, and offshore wind technician training.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Hatchet Ridge California Shasta County Fund Land-based wind energy project 44 101 2010
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Pattern Energy

  • The Hatchet Ridge Wind Community Benefits Program invests $5 million in the local community through the Shasta County General Fund, the Burney-Fall River Education Foundation, and the Burney Regional Community Fund administered by the Community Foundation of the North State. The Burney Regional Community Fund was established to address the needs within the communities of the Greater Burney Region, and to build a community of philanthropists in the region now and forever. The fund was established with a gift of $500,000 from Pattern Energy.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Mountain View Power Partners Repower California Riverside County Non-financial Land-based wind energy project 16 66.7 2022
Developed, Owned, or Operated by AES

  • AES donated 248 acres of land within the Whitewater Floodplain Conservation area to the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Ocotillo California Imperial County Fund Land-based wind energy project 112 265 2012
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Pattern Energy

  • Ocotillo has committed $3 million dollars to address the region’s challenges, needs, and opportunities through three separate endowment funds; the funds have a core goal of improving the quality of life in Imperial Valley. The three funds – the Ocotillo Wind Community Fund, the Ocotillo Wind Education Fund, and the Ocotillo Wind Imperial Valley Fund – have all been established with initial gifts of $500,000 consisting of a $475,000 endowment and a $25,000 contribution earmarked for inaugural grant cycles. The remaining $1.5 million of Ocotillo's commitment will be gifted equally and annually to the Program’s funds, ensuring that for the next twenty years, there will be at least $25,000 for grant opportunities per year to support local organizations and causes from each fund. The Imperial Valley Community Foundation administers grant processes for the Ocotillo Wind Education Fund and Ocotillo Wind Imperial Valley Fund, whereas an advisory committee of Ocotillo and No Mirage residents guides the implementation of the Ocotillo Wind Community Fund.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Rising Tree California Kern County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 60 198 2014, 2015
Developed, Owned, or Operated by EDP Renewables

  • In 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, EDP Renewables donated $8,000 to Community Action Partnership of Kern on behalf of Rising Tree Wind Farm.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Tule Wind Project California San Diego County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 57 186 2018
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Avangrid

  • In 2018, Avangrid made two donations, each close to $100,000, to the Mountain Empire Unified School District and Mountain Health and Community Services.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Bronco Plains Colorado Kit Carson County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 108 299 2020
Developed, Owned, or Operated by NextEra Energy Resources

  • NextEra Energy Resources has sponsored community organizations and events, including the Colorado Wind and Solar Forum, Repowering Schools, Flagler County Schools, Colorado Governor's Relief Fund, junior/senior 4H, and Burlington Cougar Club.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
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What Forms of Community Benefits Are Not Included in This Database?

CBAs and related forms of community benefits may be provided alongside other agreements or economic impacts that serve different purposes, such as:

  • Land lease payments to landowners that host wind turbines.
  • Project labor agreements for construction of wind energy projects.
  • Taxes or tax agreements like payment in lieu of taxes (PILOTs).
  • Direct compensation to impacted stakeholders, such as commercial fishermen.

This database does not include these other types of wind energy benefits, as they differ from CBAs and related benefit mechanisms in several key ways; namely, the community benefits included in this database are unrelated to taxation, are intended to provide benefits to the community as a whole rather than a specific group of people, like landowners, and are separate from impact mitigation measures required by permitting agencies.