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
Rattlesnake Flat Washington Adams County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 57 160 2020
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Clearway Energy Group / Avista

  • Avista and Clearway Energy Group have both donated to Adams County nonprofits, including the Washtucna Heritage Museum and Community Center, the Adams County Fire Protection District #7, the Lind Senior Center, and the Lind Lions Club.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Skookumchuck Washington Lewis County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 38 136 2020
Developed, Owned, or Operated by RES / Puget Sound Energy / Weyerhaeuser / TransAlta

  • In 2019, RES donated $17,000 to the Yelm Community Schools District; the donation went toward nine schools in the district, including $5,000 for the high school football field.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Tucannon River Wind Washington Columbia County Fund Land-based wind energy project 116 267 2014
Developed, Owned, or Operated by RES / Portland General Electric

  • In 2015, the Portland General Electric Tucannon River Wind Farm Habitat Project Fund was created through a Memorandum of Agreement involving Columbia County, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Blue Mountain Community Foundation, and Portland General Electric. The fund distributes grants to support habitat conservation, restoration, monitoring, management, and enhancement projects in Columbia County for the benefit of both wildlife and the public at large.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Black Rock West Virginia Mineral County, Grant County Fund Non-financial Land-based wind energy project 23 115 2021
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Clearway Energy Group

  • The Black Rock Community Benefit Fund was established to provide financial support for charitable projects and programs in the communities surrounding the wind farm. The fund distributed $133,000 in 2022, the first year of the wind farm’s operations, and will distribute an additional $50,000 each year for the life of the project. The fund is hosted by US Wind Force Foundation, and an allocation committee made up of residents from Grant and Mineral counties determines how funds are distributed. The program models Pattern Energy's Pinnacle Wind Community Benefit fund.

  • In 2022, Black Rock hosted a KidWind workshop for students, parents, and teachers.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Laurel Mountain West Virginia Randolph County, Barbour County Fund Land-based wind energy project 61 98 2011
Developed, Owned, or Operated by AES

  • Laurel Mountain provides scholarships to high school students in Randolph and Barbour counties.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Mount Storm West Virginia Grant County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 132 264 2008
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Clearway Energy Group

  • As part of Clearway Energy Group's Adopt-A-School program, in 2022, Mount Storm Wind contributed two $10,000 donations to two local elementary schools to support STEM education, as well as a $13,000 donation to help one of the schools refurbish an exercise room.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Pinnacle West Virginia Mineral County Fund Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 23 55 2012
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Clearway Energy Group

  • Pinnacle Community Benefit Fund distributes $20,000 annually to the local community and has awarded more than $250,000 since Pinnacle began operations in 2012. Pinnacle Wind donated $60,000 to the Community Benefit Fund at the start of commercial operations in 2012 and $20,000 per year for the life of the project; the fund was extended when the wind farm was repowered in 2021. The fund is hosted by US Wind Force Foundation and was established to provide locally-controlled financial resources for community projects in the area immediately surrounding the project.

  • Clearway Energy Group donated funds to help the Petersburg High School football team replace equipment lost in a 2019 fire.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Forward Wisconsin Rock County Donation/support to local cause Non-financial Land-based wind energy project 86 99 2008
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Alliant Energy / Invenergy

  • In 2021, the Forward Wind project team donated to the Dodge County Toy Bank.

  • The Forward Wind project team has participated in a local Adopt-a-Highway program for several years.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Quilt Block Wisconsin Lafayette County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 49 98 2017
Developed, Owned, or Operated by EDP Renewables

  • Quilt Block Wind Farm has donated $3,000 to the Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program five times since 2020 (a total of $15,000 as of 2024).

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Campbell Hill Wyoming Converse County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 66 99 2009
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Duke Energy

  • In 2009, Campbell Hill sponsored and participated in a charity chili cook-off event that donated $1,600 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Glenrock.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Display results

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.