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
Prairie Rose Minnesota Rock County Fund Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 119 200 2012
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Geronimo Energy / Enel Green Power

  • The Prairie Rose Minnesota Community Fund supports projects and initiatives through grants, donations, gifts, and contributions related to the areas of environment, biodiversity, amateur athletics, arts and culture, education, health and wellness, social services, community infrastructure, and capital assets. The Community Fund grants up to 25% of its annual funding in the form of scholarships. The fund supports projects in the communities of Rose Dell, Denver, Springwater, Hardwick, and Jasper. The Community Fund is an independent 501(c)(3) private foundation primarily funded by the Prairie Rose Wind Project and governed by a Board of Directors composed of community members and landowners who live in the townships served by the Community Fund. Enel Green Power contributes $40,000 annually to the fund. Some recipients of funding have included the Jasper Fire Department, the Hardwick Fire Department, the city of Hardwick, the Hardwick Community Club, the Rock County Sheriff's Office, the Jasper Ambulance Association, the city of Jasper, the Rock County Historical Society, and American Legion.

  • In 2020, Geronimo Energy donated $5,500 to the Luverne Area Community Foundation, which went toward the foundation's Community Crisis Fund that was established to help non-profit organizations in Rock County with funding during COVID-19.

  • In 2020, Enel Green Power donated $5,000 to Luverne Public School District and $5,000 to Pipestone Area Public Schools to support remote learning technology and free meals for students during COVID-19. This funding was part of a $1.3 million donation made by Enel Green Power to 75 beneficiaries in the areas of Enel's projects in the U.S. and Canada.

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.