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
Broken Bow II Nebraska Custer County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 43 73 2014
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Midwest Wind Energy / Sempra Renewables

  • In 2014, at the wind project's dedication, Sempra Renewables donated $10,000 to Custer County’s Economic Development Corporation’s CAPABLE Program, which introduces youth to jobs in their community as part of an effort to bring students back after college.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Cottonwood Nebraska Webster County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 40 89.6 2017
Developed, Owned, or Operated by NextEra Energy Resources

  • In 2018, NextEra donated $15,000 to the Legacy Endowment of the Red Cloud Community Foundation Fund. The donation helped the RCCFF meet its goal in the Sherwood Foundation’s Rural Development Philanthropy Challenge, and through matching funds from the Sherwood Foundation, NextEra's donation added $22,500 to RCCFF’s Legacy Endowment.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Grande Prairie Nebraska Holt County Fund Non-financial Land-based wind energy project 200 400 2016
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Geronimo Energy / BHE Renewables

  • BHE Renewables contributes $80,000 annually ($1.6 million over 20 years) to local charitable organizations in the area of the Grande Prairie project. From 2017 to 2021, these donations went to the Nebraska Community Foundation and were then distributed to the respective community-based affiliated funds in Stuart, Atkinson, O’Neill and Chambers, as well as the Holt County Economic Development Fund.

  • Grand Prairie Wind has donated a decommissioned two-megawatt wind turbine generator, a 750-kilowatt nacelle, and a rotor hub to the wind energy program at Northeast Community College. The equipment supports wind technician training.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Haystack Nebraska Wayne County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 69 298 2022
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Ørsted

  • Ørsted made a contribution to the city of Carroll for the construction of a new playground.

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Plum Creek Nebraska Wayne County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 82 230 2020
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Ørsted / Energy Capital Partners

  • Plum Creek Wind has supported community organizations, including the Wayne Softball program and the Wayne Food Bank/Backpack program.

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Prairie Breeze I, II, & III Nebraska Boone County, Antelope County Non-financial Land-based wind energy project 179 309.8 2014 - 2016
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Invenergy

  • In 2017, the Prairie Breeze team treated veterans to lunch at the Elgin Senior Center in recognition of Veteran's Day.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Rattlesnake Creek Nebraska Dixon County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 101 320 2018
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Enel Green Power

  • In 2018, Enel Green Power donated $60,000 to the Allen-Waterbury Fire District for purchase of a new ambulance to serve Dixon County.

  • Enel has contributed significantly to the Rural Workforce Housing Investment Fund in the city of Wakefield. The fund is used by the community to remodel or build new homes to help the area attract and maintain a rural work force.

  • Throughout the lifetime of the Rattlesnake Creek project, Enel Green Power has committed to sponsoring education and training in science, technology and renewable energy, including providing scholarships to local students to participate in wind energy training programs.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Sholes Nebraska Wayne County, Stanton County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 71 160 2019
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Invenergy

  • NextEra Energy Resources has pledged to sponsor tours of the Nebraska State Capitol for all fourth grade students in Wayne and Stanton counties for the operational life of the Sholes Wind Energy Center. NextEra was a lead sponsor of the Nebraska Experience for Fourth Graders, an initiative during the Nebraska 150 Celebration in 2017.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Steele Flats Nebraska Jefferson County, Gage County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 44 74.8 2013
Developed, Owned, or Operated by NextEra Energy Resources

  • In 2023, NextEra Energy Resources donated $10,000 to Diller Fire and Rescue.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Upstream Nebraska Antelope County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 81 202.5 2018
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Invenergy

  • In 2022, Invenergy supported the Warrior Roots Project, a tiered landscape initiative led by the local Future Farmers of America chapter. This project aims to educate students on planning and planting gardens. The donation went toward the project's foundation, including the retaining wall, safety railings, and new garden beds.

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.