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
Vineyard Wind 1 Massachusetts Federal waters Formal agreement Fund Offshore wind energy project 62 800 Under construction as of 2024
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Vineyard Wind

  • Vineyard Wind and Vineyard Power (an electric cooperative on the island of Martha's Vineyard) signed a community benefit agreement in 2015, which includes provisions related to job creation and community engagement.

  • In 2019, Vineyard Wind partnered with Citizens Energy Corporation and Vineyard Power to establish the Resiliency and Affordability Fund. The fund will provide $1 million annually for 15 years in funding to support battery storage, solar projects, and credits to low-income ratepayers' electricity bills on Martha’s Vineyard and the Cape.

Funding for energy storage and solar projects for public buildings in communities on the island and on the mainland.
Ratepayer relief in communities hosting the Vineyard Wind project in the form of bill-credits for low-income residents.
The agreement also requires developers employ a fisheries liaison during project lifetime.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Vineyard Wind 1 Massachusetts N/A Formal agreement Offshore wind energy project 62 800 Under construction as of 2024
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Vineyard Offshore

  • Vineyard Offshore signed a tribal benefit agreement with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in 2024, which includes creation of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Offshore Wind Community Fund. The fund will support scholarships, wastewater projects, language reclamation, workforce training, and tribal capacity for offshore wind engagement. The tribal benefit agreement includes a commitment to tribal sovereignty and self-determination, establishment of a full scholarship program with Bristol Community College, connecting Tribal Nations with external organizations to support solar projects, local job creation, and stewardship of land and ocean resources.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Vineyard Wind 1 Massachusetts Federal waters Formal agreement Fund Offshore wind energy project 62 800 Under construction as of 2024
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Vineyard Wind

  • In 2020, Vineyard Wind signed a Good Neighbor Agreement with the town and county of Nantucket, MA, the Maria Mitchell Association, and the Nantucket Preservation Trust. The agreement establishes the Nantucket Offshore Wind Community Fund, managed by the Community Foundation for Nantucket, which will support projects and initiatives related to restoring and preserving cultural and historic resources, coastal resiliency, climate adaptation, and renewable energy. Vineyard Wind contributed $4 million to the fund at financial close of Vineyard Wind 1 and will contribute $3 million at financial close of future Vineyard Wind projects. In 2024, the fund awarded its first round of grants, totaling nearly $800,000; funds went to a variety of recipients, including municipal infrastructure projects, historic preservation activities, and energy and resilience upgrades for nonprofits and other local institutions.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Apple Blossom Michigan Huron County Fund Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 29 100 2017
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Geronimo Energy / Huron Wind / Sempra Renewables / AEP

  • The Apple Blossom Community Fund was established to engage in and support charitable activities in the communities connected to the wind project. The fund receives up to $20,000 annually and decision-making for the fund is made by a board of directors made up of landowners hosting turbines and community members in the impacted area.

  • Sempra Renewables makes an annual gift to the Pigeon Community Fund of the Huron County Community Foundation, including a $15,000 gift in 2019 that was put toward community projects (e.g., upgrades to an events center, public ice rink) in the Village of Pigeon.

  • The American Electric Power Foundation, on behalf of AEP Renewables, donated $10,000 in emergency funds to the Huron County Community Foundation to assist with COVID-19 response.

  • In 2019, Sempra Renewables donated $2,000 and equipment to the Laker Secondary School to assist with creation of an innovation center.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Deerfield II Michigan Huron County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 21 101.6 2023
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Liberty Power / Algonquin Power

  • Liberty Power donated to the Caseville Cheeseburger Festival.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Isabella I & II Michigan Isabella County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 136 383.5 2021
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Apex Clean Energy / DTE Energy

  • Isabella Wind supported several local food pantries (Trinity Church Food Pantry, Bread of Life Pantry, Community Compassion Network, and REAP Food Pantry) during the COVID-19 pandemic and provided meals to healthcare workers at local hospitals in Montcalm and Isabella.

  • Apex provided $5,000 to Beal City Public Schools to fund the school robotics team.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Meridian Wind Park Michigan Midland County, Saginaw County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 77 225 2021
Developed, Owned, or Operated by DTE Energy

  • DTE Energy has supported local programs and events, including the Future Farmers of America, CAN Council, FIRST Robotics, and Girl Scouts. They provided immediate support for Midland's flood relief through a donation to the Red Cross and donated Chromebooks to the Merrill School District for online learning during the coronavirus pandemic.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Adams Minnesota Meeker County Fund Land-based wind energy project 12 20 2011
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Adams Wind Generations / BluEarth Renewables / Juhl Energy

  • Through a landowner-led initiative, BluEarth Renewables and local project owners established a scholarship fund that awards scholarships to graduating seniors from Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City Public Schools. Scholarships are intended to go to students with an interest in the renewable energy field.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Bent Tree Minnesota Freeborn County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 122 201 2011
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Alliant Energy

  • Alliant supports local organizations and events, including the Ag Open Golf Outing, Freeborn County 4-H, Freeborn County Fair, and Hartland Fire Department.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Black Oak Getty Minnesota Steams County Fund Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 39 82 2016
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Geronimo Energy / Sempra Renewables / AEP

  • The Black Oak Getty Community Fund is the result of a commitment originally made by Geronimo Energy and honored by Sempra Renewables to use a portion of the wind farm’s profits to give back directly to the area communities. The Community Fund's mission is to improve the quality of life of all citizens in the area of Black Oak Getty wind farm through charitable grants; preference is given to "innovative programs in the areas of education, environment, and community development that encourage volunteerism, community development, and/or promote environmental awareness and improvement." The Community Fund receives up to $16,000 annually, and spending of the Community Fund is at the direction of the Community Fund’s board of directors, which is made up of landowners hosting wind turbines and one at-large director from the community.

  • In April 2020, AEP donated $10,000 to the Sauk Centre Area Community Foundation in Sauk Centre, Minnesota.

Sources

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.