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
Osage Oklahoma Osage County Donation/support to local cause Fund Land-based wind energy project 84 150 2015
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Enel Green Power

  • In 2018, Enel Green Power partnered with Shidler Public Schools, Woodland Public Schools, and Pawhuska Public Schools to support educational initiatives. This includes funding an annual academic awards banquet so students and parents can attend for free, as well as donations that the schools put toward projects of their choosing; for example, Pawhuska Public Schools used the funding to improve school technology and award three scholarships.

  • Enel funds scholarships at high schools in the Osage Wind area; in 2017, two Shidler students and six Woodland students received scholarships from Enel.

  • In collaboration with Pawhuska Public Schools, Enel sponsored two local teachers to attend the RECharge Academy, a weeklong workshop on renewable energy. The training helps educators understand the science and impact of renewable energy science and gain effective teaching methods for these concepts.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
OU Spirit Oklahoma Woodward County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 44 101 2009
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Competitive Power Ventures / Oklahoma Gas and Electric

  • In 2009, Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. voluntarily provided $3.75 million to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation in conjunction with the OU Spirit project. The majority of the donation was utilized by the Wildlife Department to purchase 4,200 acres for prairie chickens near the Packsaddle Wildlife Management Area in western Oklahoma.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Persimmon Creek I Oklahoma Ellis County, Dewey County, Woodward County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 80 199 2018
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Quinbrook Infrastructure / Scout Clean Energy / Elawan Energy / Evergy

  • In 2018, Scout Clean Energy and Elawan Energy donated $20,000 to the Vici Rural Fire Department as part of the Persimmon Creek project. The donation went toward covering expenses from the historic Rhea fire.

  • In 2020, Scout Clean Energy and the Persimmon Creek Wind Farm purchased a pig at the Woodward District Livestock Show, benefiting local 4H and Future Farmers of America organizations.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Ponderosa Oklahoma Beaver County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 100 200 2020
Developed, Owned, or Operated by NextEra Energy Resources

  • In 2020, Ponderosa Wind donated $2,000 to the Beaver County Volunteer Firefighters.

  • In 2020, NextEra Energy Resources donated $14,500 to assist victims and first responders affected by a wildfire that destroyed over 30,000 acres and multiple homes in Beaver County. The funds supported the region’s volunteer fire departments and helped families recover from property losses.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Redbed Plains Oklahoma Grady County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 48 100 2017
Developed, Owned, or Operated by EDP Renewables

  • EDP Renewables has sponsored local KidWind teams from Tuttle, OK to attend the National KidWind Challenge, where students from across the country design, construct and test small-scale wind turbines.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Red Dirt Oklahoma Kingfisher County, Logan County Donation/support to local cause Non-financial Land-based wind energy project 95 300 2017
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Enel Green Power

  • Enel Green Power has supported local organizations and causes in the community, including a $26,000 donation to the Hennessey, Dover, and Crescent Fire Departments for equipment and bunker gear; sponsoring the Leadership Hennessey for Students program for an in-person learning opportunity on wind energy and its role in the town and the county's economic development; and partnering with the local Future Farmers of America and 4RKids groups to manage recycling stations in the community.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Red Hills Oklahoma Roger Mills County, Custer County Fund Land-based wind energy project 82 123 2008
Developed, Owned, or Operated by ACCIONA Energy

  • When dedicating the Red Hills project in 2009, ACCIONA presented the Hammon School superintendent with an annual scholarship of $5,000 to be awarded to a graduating senior each year. ACCIONA has provided more than $300,000 in scholarships to students in the areas of its Illinois, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas wind farms.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Rock Haven Oklahoma Murray County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 49 140 2021
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Enel Green Power

  • In 2022, Enel Green Power donated $20,000 to the Chickasaw Foundation to provide two Chickasaw Nation students with $10,000 scholarships. The scholarship supported Indigenous students studying wind energy technical training or another program of their choice (e.g., engineering, electrical, construction, environmental) leading to a career in the renewable energy field. The donation was associated with Enel's Rock Haven and Origin wind projects in the area.

  • Enel donated $22,000 to the Hennepin Fire Department to purchase personal protective equipment and wildland firefighting gear.

  • Enel provided masks and hand sanitizer to the Ratliff Senior Citizen Center during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • When the Ratliff and Lone Grove communities lost electricity and water from a wind storm, Enel and two local companies donated two pallets of drinking water.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Seven Cowboy Oklahoma Kiowa County, Washita County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 107 301.7 2023
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Enel Green Power

  • Enel Green Power has partnered with the Judah Food Bank, which assists 30-40 families experiencing food insecurity in Washita County. In 2022, Enel approached the food bank to inquire about donations and energy efficiency improvements that Enel could help with, then later donated $15,000 to the food bank. Following this donation, Enel held an employee fundraising luncheon and raised an additional $11,000 for the food bank. The donations have enabled the food bank to make upgrades including switching to LED lighting and adding an awning to assist with energy efficiency.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Sleeping Bear Oklahoma Harper County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 45 94.5 2007
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Clearway Energy Group / Edison

  • Clearway Energy partnered with Horace Mann Elementary in Woodward to build a sun shade on the school's playground. Clearway's donation came after reaching out to the school about their needs as part of the company's adopt-a-school program, and one of the Clearway staff involved attended Horace Mann as a child.

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.