Community Benefit Funds and Wind Power: A Scottish Case Study

The Scottish government’s aim of deriving 100 per cent of the nation’s electricity from renewable sources is dependent on the utilisation of wind energy. Social barriers, however, have continued to threaten these targets. Community benefit funds have often been paraded as the most common way of improving public attitudes towards wind farms in the United Kingdom, although little empirical evidence exists to support this notion. Using the proposed Ourack wind farm, approximately three and a half miles north of Grantown-on-Spey in the Scottish Highlands, this case study, consisting of a sequential explanatory research design comprised of an initial close-ended survey followed by in-depth semi-structured interviews, sought to explore the community’s perceptions of community benefits, identify the type of fund that the community wanted, and investigate the role of such benefit provisions in altering perceptions of wind farms. The key findings indicated that the majority of participants were in favour of benefits being provided, they preferred funding to be directed towards community organisations, and approximately one third of research participants (31.6 per cent) perceived the proposed wind farm in a more positive light after considering the possible benefits the region would accrue. Furthermore, the research indicated the need for community benefits to become a standardised part of the planning process, thus reducing the likelihood of financial benefits being perceived as bribes, and allowing developers to provide greater information about any proposed benefits scheme prior to applying for planning permission. There are implications of this study for academics researching the role of community benefits in wind farm planning, and policymakers and developers for understanding the wants and needs of community members.