Project Title: Community Benefits and impacts from Offshore Wind Development

Project Objectives: Exploration and characterization of Community Benefit (CB) arrangements for offshore energy development

PI: Hilary Boudet

Sponsor: USDOE WETO

Award Number: DE-EE-001078

Period of performance: 2024 – 2028

Project Description:

As the United States continues to decarbonize its energy infrastructure, offshore wind is likely to take on a more prominent role in electricity production. It is vital to understand how coastal communities situated close to proposed floating offshore wind facilities perceive the impacts of such developments and what preferences they have for potential benefit agreements. To deepen understanding, a team of researchers led by Oregon State University are conducting collaborative research supported with funding from the US Department of Energy, Wind Energy Technology Office. The research seeks to collect, analyze, and disseminate information about community perspectives on the benefits and impacts of offshore wind development. Research tasks include analysis of existing community benefits arrangements, surveys of six different coastal communities on both coasts, and interviews with developers and communities.

Project Team

Hilary Boudet, Professor, School of Public Policy, Oregon State University

Shawn Hazboun, Assistant Professor, School of Public Policy, Oregon State University

Jeremy Firestone, Professor, School of Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware

Shana Hirsch, Co-Director, Pacific Marine Energy Center, University of Washington

Arne Jacobson, Director, Schatz Energy Research Center, Cal Poly Humboldt

Teresa Johnson, Associate Professor, School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine

Caroline Noblet, Associate Professor, School of Economics, University of Maine

Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)

Project Locations: Gulf of Maine, Pacific (Northern California, Southern Oregon, Washington)