Community benefits from offshore renewables: The relationship between different understandings of impact, community, and benefit

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a research project evaluating community benefit models for offshore renewables. We identify and analyse UK and international case studies of different forms of community benefit, and provide evidence of how such benefits are delivered. In particular we consider the key relationship between the identification of communities, perception of impact, and the apportionment of benefits. In doing so, we develop a range of different definitions of 'community', 'benefit', and 'impact' when considering community benefits. We propose that the way in which community, benefit, and impact are understood is crucial in determining whether or how benefits should be apportioned and delivered; and that these definitions are closely connected to each other. We develop a new series of typologies as a way to understand this. Finally, we assess different mechanisms and schemes of community benefits to identify good practice and key points of learning for policy and planning.

Local voices on renewable energy projects: the performative role of the regulatory process for major offshore infrastructure in England and Wales

“…For example, Rudolph, Haggett, and Aitken (2018) show how the community compensation schemes themselves encourage different constructions of the community and that the way the community is defined is closely linked to how benefits are defined within these schemes. Work by Bristow, Cowell, and Munday (2012) also points to the performative nature of community benefits schemes in extending the notion of community from a community "of place" to an "affected" community, widening the spatial reach.…”

The Social Energy: Contexts for Its Assessment

“…Possible restrictions and negative influence over the fish stocks are among the concerns in this area. Also, competition between different sectors for alternative uses of sea space can lead to suboptimal economic development, which can cause conflicts between sectors and the rejection of the population and industries [17,18]. While developers often meet only statutory requirements to acquire legal rights to occupy the sea space and exploit marine energy resources, they must also balance this with the rights and prerogatives of other sea users.…”

Wind Energy, Benefit-Sharing and Indigenous Peoples: Lessons From the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Southern Mexico

“…37 In spite of their widespread uptake, the literature reports how benefit-sharing arrangements still tend to be perceived as a bribe to secure project approval and/or minimise public resistance. 38 And while some authors point to the advantages of greater benefits institutionalisation associated with shared project ownership 39 and of spelling out benefits in more positive terms, 40 increasing opposition to the development of wind farms in countries that have adopted an institutionalised approach to benefit-sharing does not necessarily corroborate this proposition, further demonstrating that distributive justice considerations remain a concern. 41 In sum, the question of how to guarantee a fair distribution of benefits and burdens associated with the expansion of renewable energy generation capacity is still very much an open one.…”