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
Goodland I / Benton County Wind Farm Indiana Benton County Fund Land-based wind energy project 87 130 2008
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Orion Renewables

  • Orion Renewables committed to providing $45,000 in scholarships for local high school students over the lifetime of the project.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Headwaters Indiana Randolph County Fund Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 100 200 2014
Developed, Owned, or Operated by EDPR

  • In 2023, on Global Wind Day, EDPR donated $100,000 to the Randolph community to upgrade the 4-H Fairgrounds' dining room and kitchen.

  • In 2019, EDPR pledged $125,000 to the Community Foundation of Randolph County. This donation, part of a 2-1 match for Lilly Endowment’s GIFT VII Matching Grant Program, created the EDP Renewables Charitable Fund to support residents and projects in Randolph County.

  • EDPR has previously supported the Randolph County Promise program, encouraging post-high school education.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Meadow Lake Indiana White County Payment to government outside of an agreement Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 414 801 2009-2018 (multi-phase)
Developed, Owned, or Operated by EDP Renewables

  • In 2020, EDP Renewables provided $300,000 total to the Chalmers, Brookston, Reynolds and Wolcott communities; the four towns received $75,000 each to put toward the projects of their choice. The plans for these investments included funding a new fire station in Brookston, a splash pad and repairs to the American Legion building in Chalmers, a new electric sign and lights for the community baseball field in Wolcott, and an electronic marquee sign and upgrades to town facilities in Reynolds. Before making this contribution, EDPR met with leaders and community members from each of the four towns closest to Meadow Lake Wind Farm to listen to their current priorities and learn how to best support their goals.

  • EDPR provided a total of $16,000 in COVID-19 relief to the White County Food Pantry, the Good Samaritan Food Pantry, the Honey Creek Volunteer Fire Department, the Chalmers Volunteer Fire Department, the Prairie Township Volunteer Fire Department, the Wolcott Volunteer Fire Department, the Remington Fire Department and the Community Action Program of Western Indiana.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Wildcat I Indiana Tipton County, Madison County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 125 200 2012
Developed, Owned, or Operated by RWE

  • During the wind farm's opening ceremony in 2014, RWE made donations to various community groups and organizations, including a $5,000 contribution to the City of Elwood for the city pool fund.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Arbor Hill 1 & 2 Iowa Adair County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 142 310 2020
Developed, Owned, or Operated by MidAmerican Energy

  • MidAmerican Energy contributed $83,000 to the Adair County Fairgrounds, which was used to establish the MidAmerican Energy Arena, a newly renovated arena for community events like animal shows. The arena opened in 2020, with funding coming from revenues from multiple MidAmerican wind projects in the county.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Golden Plains Iowa Kossuth County, Winnebago County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 82 200 2020
Developed, Owned, or Operated by EDF Renewables / Alliant Energy

  • During the project's development, over $15,000 was donated to various charities and non-profits. This included $6,000 for a school supply drive, $1,000 for a Thanksgiving food drive, and $1,100 to support a local family who experienced the loss of a child during the holidays.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Great Pathfinder Iowa Boone County, Hamilton County Fund Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 65 224.4 2022
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Apex Clean Energy

  • Apex Clean Energy established the Great Pathfinder Wind Community Grant Program to support educators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers in Boone and Hamilton Counties. Funds are intended to support programs which support community health, economic opportunities, environmental sustainability, and education.

  • Great Pathfinder Wind supports the Small Business Assistance Grant, which was established by the Boone County Chamber of Commerce to provide interim relief to businesses and organizations impacted by COVID-19.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Ledyard Iowa Kossuth County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 46 207 2022
Developed, Owned, or Operated by bp / Sempra Renewables

  • The Duke Energy Foundation and Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions recently awarded a $60,000 grant to the Ledyard Fire Department in its efforts to purchase a tanker pumper truck

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Orient Wind Farm Iowa Murray County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 51 102 2018
Developed, Owned, or Operated by MidAmerican Energy

  • MidAmerican contributed $83,000 to the Adair County Fairgrounds, which was used to establish the MidAmerican Energy Arena, a newly renovated arena for community events like animal shows. The arena opened in 2020, with funding coming from revenues from multiple MidAmerican wind projects in the county.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Pioneer Prairie Iowa Howard County, Mitchell County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 182 300 2008
Developed, Owned, or Operated by EDP Renewables

  • In 2020, the Prairie Star, Pioneer Prairie, and Turtle Creek wind projects teamed up with their parent company, EDP Renewables, to donate $5,000 to the Mitchell County Food Bank and $8,000 to the Channel One Food Bank. Channel One used the funds for local food shelves serving Spring Valley, LeRoy, and Grand Meadow, as well as providing general support for their efforts to assist families throughout the region.

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.