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
Drift Sand Oklahoma Grady County Donation/support to local cause Non-financial Land-based wind energy project 54 108 2016
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Enel Green Power

  • In 2019, Enel Green Power presented $70,440 in financial support toward education, quality of life, and emergency response efforts in Rush Springs and Chickasha. In Rush Springs, this included $23,500 to Rush Springs Public Schools toward the purchase of 110 laptops for students; $5,000 to the local Lions Club for the town's signature annual Watermelon Festival; $20,000 for infrastructure upgrades throughout the town; and $8,500 toward training initiatives at the Rush Springs Fire Department. In Chickasha, $13,440 was given to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma to support student nutrition through the Campus Co-Op food pantry, performing arts experiences for low-income communities through the Davis Waldorf Performing Arts Series, service to local clients at the John A. Morris Speech and Language Clinic, wnr learning and research opportunities through the USAO Observatory.

  • In 2018, Enel donated to Chickasha Public Schools and Rush Springs Public Schools. Chickasha planned to use the funds for STEM related programs for grades pre-K through high school, including the high school robotics team. Rush Springs planned to use funding to support their Alpha Plus educational program for elementary, middle, and high school students.

  • In 2016, Enel supported the Rush Springs School District's One-to-One technology program that provides laptops to students, enabling the school to purchase 50 laptops.

  • Enel has provided renewable energy training to teachers.

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.