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).
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Project Name
State
County
Form of Benefit
Additional Form
Infrastructure Type
Number of Turbines
Generating Capacity (MW)
Year Built
Meadow Lake Indiana White County Payment to government outside of an agreement Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 414 801 2009-2018 (multi-phase)
Developed, Owned, or Operated by EDP Renewables

  • In 2020, EDP Renewables provided $300,000 total to the Chalmers, Brookston, Reynolds and Wolcott communities; the four towns received $75,000 each to put toward the projects of their choice. The plans for these investments included funding a new fire station in Brookston, a splash pad and repairs to the American Legion building in Chalmers, a new electric sign and lights for the community baseball field in Wolcott, and an electronic marquee sign and upgrades to town facilities in Reynolds. Before making this contribution, EDPR met with leaders and community members from each of the four towns closest to Meadow Lake Wind Farm to listen to their current priorities and learn how to best support their goals.

  • EDPR provided a total of $16,000 in COVID-19 relief to the White County Food Pantry, the Good Samaritan Food Pantry, the Honey Creek Volunteer Fire Department, the Chalmers Volunteer Fire Department, the Prairie Township Volunteer Fire Department, the Wolcott Volunteer Fire Department, the Remington Fire Department and the Community Action Program of Western Indiana.

Sources

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.