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
Langford Texas Tom Green County, Schleicher County, Irion County Donation/support to local cause Non-financial Land-based wind energy project 100 159.9 2009
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Clearway Energy Group

  • Clearway Energy Group has raised $48,000 for food drives in the Langford wind project area.

  • Langford Wind supported several community organizations and events in 2023, including donating $5,000 toward the construction of a new agricultural sciences barn for the local high school; laying sod for a new softball field; and providing lunch for teachers and students during a local elementary school's kickball day.

  • In 2023, the Langford Wind team laid the sod for a new softball field, sparing the community this cost.

  • In 2023, Langford Wind provided lunch, snacks, and drinks for teachers and students at a local elementary school during the school's kickball day.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Lockett Texas Wilbarger County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 75 183.75 2019
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Ørsted

  • Lockett Wind Farm has supported community organizations and causes, including the Wilbarger County Gym System purchase, the Wilbarger County Junior Livestock Program, a child in the community with medical needs, and the Wilbarger Benevolence Fund.

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Logan's Gap Texas Comanche County Fund Land-based wind energy project 87 200 2015
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Pattern Energy

  • Pattern Energy created the Logan’s Gap Wind Community Benefits Program to support causes within the greater Comanche County community, including the Comanche County Agency on Aging, the Salvation Army Food Assistance Program, the Park Enhancement Group of Comanche, and the Comanche Youth Council. Over the first five years of the project, Logan’s Gap Wind contributed $100,000 to the Logan’s Gap Wind Community Benefits Program.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Magic Valley Texas Willacy County Fund Land-based wind energy project 112 203 2012
Developed, Owned, or Operated by RWE

  • The Magic Valley Wind Farm provides scholarships to students from the Raymondville, Lyford, or San Perlita Independent School Districts in Willacy County. The Magic Valley scholarship fund is associated with the Coastal Bend Community Foundation.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Maryneal Texas Nolan County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 38 182 2021
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Duke Energy Renewables

  • Duke Energy Foundation and Duke Energy Renewables awarded the Maryneal Volunteer Fire Department a $20,000 grant to help maintain the critical safety services it provides to local businesses and residents of Maryneal, Texas, and its surrounding area.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Maverick Creek Texas Concho County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 127 491.6 2020
Developed, Owned, or Operated by RES / Algonquin Power

  • RES employees engaged in various community support initiatives during the construction period, including donating to create handicapped accessible tables and playgrounds for children, raising money to provide over 140 gifts for children during the holiday season, and making several donations to support education initiatives.

  • RES sponsored the new outdoor scoreboard at Eden High School in Texas and helped renovate the school’s football field, benefiting the community by enhancing school facilities and boosting school spirit.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
McAdoo Texas Dickens County Non-financial Land-based wind energy project 100 154 2008
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Invenergy

  • Every December, McAdoo Energy Center hosts a food drive to support the Dickens County Food Pantry. The McAdoo team collects and loads the donated food for community distribution.

  • In 2023, McAdoo Energy Center provided funds to the Matador Relief Fund, initiated by the Community Foundation of West Texas, to assist communities affected by tornadoes near Invenergy’s McAdoo Wind Energy Center.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Mesquite Sky Texas Callahan County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 69 340 2020
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Clearway Energy Group

  • In 2022, Mesquite Sky Wind supported the Callahan County food bank, local COVID-19 relief efforts, and the Eastland County Volunteer Fire Department.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Mesquite Star Texas Fisher County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 118 419 2021
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Clearway Energy Group

  • In 2023, Mesquite Star Wind donated $2,500 to the Roby Consolidated Independent School District as part of Clearway Energy Group’s Adopt a School Program.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Miami Texas Roberts County, Hemphill County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 156 288.6 2014
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Invenergy

  • In 2017, Invenergy donated $5,000 to the Miami Volunteer Fire Department after wildfires fueled by dry winds burned through more than one million acres across four plains states.

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.