Understanding the Community-Level Economic Impacts Supported by the Rush Creek Wind Farm
21 May 19
2:15 PM
-
2:40 PM
Tracks:
Public Relations/Public Acceptance
Wind development has affected the economies of local communities across America and although the benefits of jobs, local tax payments, and expanded economic activity are typically expressed as one of the key local benefits of wind development, these economic impacts are often not well documented. Using the 600 MW Rush Creek Wind Farm as a case study, the U.S. Department of Energy funded a project to better understand the Economic Impacts from Wind Energy in Colorado (Stefek et. al, 2019). This study had two main objectives: 1) quantitatively assess economic impacts, using the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Jobs and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) model and 2) qualitatively understand how economies of rural communities were economically impacted, using empirical methods. Although not an intentional outcome of the study, it also elucidated what communities and project developers can do to expand local economic impact of wind development. This presentation will primarily focus the on the case studies and information collected through engagement with key stakeholders. The presentation will also include our quantitative findings, with a specific focus of how wind developers can work with local communities to reap the benefits from wind energy. While each community across America will have its own unique economic development opportunities and challenges from wind energy, this research sets the context for better understanding the community-level economic impacts.