Full Title: Wind Energy Community Benefits Guide
Author(s): U.S. Department of Energy
Publisher(s): U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date: December 16, 2023
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
Wind energy development can provide a variety of benefits to the communities where energy projects are located and beyond, with benefits coming in many forms— such as tax revenues, supply chain and manufacturing activities, and job creation. This guide focuses on community benefit agreements (CBAs) and related funds and investments that serve as voluntary mechanisms that developers may utilize to provide additional financial and/or nonfinancial benefits for communities impacted by wind energy projects.
While CBAs and related mechanisms have been utilized for several decades in the U.S. and
internationally, the topic of community benefits is continuously evolving as wind energy deployment expands and can have different meanings in different contexts. The approach to establishing community benefits in the wind energy sector is not standardized, and thus, they can be delivered through different means, such as direct payments to a local government or the establishment of a community fund with a local nonprofit or foundation. Community benefits have been provided for both land-based wind energy and offshore wind energy projects, though there are some differences in how they have been used in these sectors. In some cases, community benefits may help advance principles of energy equity and justice through the equitable distribution of benefits within a community.
This guide is intended to serve as an introduction to the concept of community benefits for decisionmakers, local stakeholders, and developers as they seek to identify what community benefits mean for them.