Community Benefit Agreements

Wind Energy Community Benefits Database

This searchable database reflects agreements, funds, donations, and other forms of benefits offered to communities by 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 an agreement that is not represented in this database, please email windcommunitybenefits@nrel.gov .

For more information about how 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?

Benefits to communities 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
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
Thunder Spirit North Dakota Adams County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 43 107 2015
Developed, Owned, or Operated by ALLETE Clean Energy / Montana-Dakota Utilities

  • In 2015, ALLETE Clean Energy donated $10,000 to the Adams County Community Foundation, a fund of the North Dakota Community Foundation that supports a wide variety of recipients, including senior centers, hospitals, parks, food pantries, and arts programs.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
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
Southern Hills Expansion Iowa Adams County, Union County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 36 131 2020
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
Upstream Nebraska Antelope County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 81 202.5 2018
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Invenergy

  • In 2022, Invenergy supported the Warrior Roots Project, a tiered landscape initiative led by the local Future Farmers of America chapter. This project aims to educate students on planning and planting gardens. The donation went toward the project's foundation, including the retaining wall, safety railings, and new garden beds.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Windthorst Texas Archer County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 28 64 2014
Developed, Owned, or Operated by Horn Wind / Own Energy / EDF Renewables

  • In 2020, EDF donated $10,000 ($5,000 for its two wind projects in the community) to the county to help programs that were impacted by COVID-19. The county decided to distributed $2,000 each to three school districts and two service centers.

  • Since the Windthorst project was under construction, Horn Wind and Own Energy have collaborated to provide $10,000 annually in scholarships for Archer City High School graduating seniors. The scholarship fund is administered by the Wichita Falls Area Community Foundation.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Bobcat Bluff Texas Archer County Payment to government outside of an agreement Land-based wind energy project 100 162 2012
Developed, Owned, or Operated by EDF Renewables

  • In 2020, EDF Renewables donated $10,000 ($5,000 for its two wind projects in the community) to the county to help programs that were impacted by COVID-19. The county decided to distributed $2,000 each to three school districts and two service centers.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Route 66 Texas Armstrong County, Carson County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 75 150 2015
Developed, Owned, or Operated by First Wind / Onward Energy / Novatus Energy

  • In 2019, Novatus Energy announced it was making $5,000 in scholarships available to the Panhandle High School's graduating class of 2020.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Mars Hill Maine Aroostook County Donation/support to local cause Land-based wind energy project 22 42 2007
Developed, Owned, or Operated by First Wind / James W. Sewall Company

  • First Wind donated funds toward a project to supply graphing calculators for a pre-calculus classroom in Mars Hill, ME.

Source

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
Oakfield Maine Aroostook County Formal agreement Land-based wind energy project 48 148 2015
Developed, Owned, or Operated by First Wind / Onward Energy

  • Through a community benefit agreement with the town of Oakfield, First Wind committed to providing $12 million in community benefit payments over the first 20 years of the project's life (2014-2033). First Wind made the first payment of $600,000 in 2014, six months after construction began; each subsequent annual payment would also be $600,000 ($5,000 per MW of generating capacity installed in the town). The town agreed to use 90% of each annual payment to provide tax relief for residents. Town residents voted to approve the benefit agreement in 2011. This is in addition to tax revenues from the project.

Sources

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024
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What Forms of Community Benefits Are Not Included in This Database?

Agreements and related forms of 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 agreements and related benefit mechanisms in several key ways; namely, the data 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.