The NWCC seeks to explore the economic development benefits and cost of
wind power for landowners and communities, particularly economically
challenged areas. The Economic Development Work Group has produced the
consensus NWCC Guidelines for Assessing the Economic Development Impacts
of Wind Power, which identifies criteria and guidelines for assessing the
economic viability of proposed wind energy development in a manner that is
valid, reliable, and robust. These guidelines were use to create case
studies assessing the economic impacts of wind facility development in
three local jurisdictions, which cover a variety of wind farm sizes,
development history, and ownership within a diverse range of geography and
social demographics.
The NWCC's work continues to focus on these issues by summarizing some of
the common trends realized from the case studies and developing fact sheets
outlining the findings about methodology, data needs, and impacts of
development.
