Community Benefits from Wind Power - A Study of UK practice comparison with leading European Countries - Report to the Renewables Advisory Board the DTI

Abstract:

The routine provision of meaningful benefits to communities hosting wind power projects is likely to be a significant factor in sustaining public support and delivering significant rates of wind power development.

In direct contrast to the UK where community benefits typically rely on voluntary cash contributions to a community fund from the project developer, the evidence from Spain, Denmark and Germany indicates that significant local benefits are effectively built into the fabric of all wind power projects.

The routine benefits typically take the form of the local tax payments, jobs and economic benefits form regional manufacturing, and for Denmark and Germany, opportunities for local ownership. In these leading EU countries for wind power development, which have enjoyed hard higher rates of wind power development, the concept of a voluntary contribution or a community fund is unfamiliar; benefits are already accruing without the need for developers to volunteer additional payments.

1. Introduction
2. Study Objectives
3. Defining community and benefit
4. Study Methodology
5. The UK experience
6. 1. Germany
   2. Denmark
   3. Spain
   4. Ireland
7. Comparing the UK and leading EU countries
8. Analysis and conclusions
9. Recommendations to the Renewables Advisory Board
10. References

Publication Year:

2005

Publisher:

Department of Trade and Industry

DOI:

No DOI minted

Author(s):

Centre for Sustainable Energy Garrad Hassan