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Engaging Communities in Offshore Wind: Case Studies and Lessons Learned from New England Islands December 15, 2015

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Engaging Communities in Offshore Wind:

Case Studies and Lessons Learned from New England Islands

December 15, 2015

Overview• Welcome and Introductions• Report Summary• Case Study Perspectives• Audience Q&A• Wrap Up

Island Institute• Work to sustain Maine’s island and rural coastal communities and

exchange ideas and experiences to further the sustainability of communities in Maine and elsewhere – Offshore wind and ocean planning: information dissemination, convening,

environmental research, fisheries mapping, prioritizing local benefit

Islanded Grid Resource Center

FOCUS AREAS• Wind-Diesel Systems

• Megawatt-Scale Systems on Islanded Grids

• Support for Island Communities in Close Proximity to Proposed Commercial-Scale Offshore Wind and Other Ocean Energy Projects

MISSIONRemote communities’ limited resources and high energy costs threaten their long-term sustainability and economic viability. The Islanded Grid Resource Center’s is committed to building a network of utilities, wind operators, government agencies, researchers, technical experts and others to promote collaboration and share information so communities can work together to solve the energy challenges and opportunities facing remote grids, specifically, those involving wind power.

www.islandedgrid.org

HUGE GEOGRAPHYThe center focuses on U.S. states and territories, but is open to any interested party. Participants are currently located in Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of Northern Marianas, and U.S. Virgin Islands.

WINDExchange is the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Program's hub of stakeholder engagement and outreach activities. The purpose of WINDExchange is to help communities weigh the benefits and costs of wind energy, understand the deployment process, and make wind development decisions supported by the best available science and other fact-based information.http://energy.gov/eere/wind/wind

exchange

Wind Energy Regional Resource Centers

Report Goals

Block�Island,�Rhode�Island�

Monhegan�Island,�Maine�

Wind�resource�poten al�

Poor�

Fair�

Good�

Excellent�

Outstanding�

Martha’s�Vineyard,�Massachuse s�

Maine�

Vermont�

Massachuse s�

New�Hampshire�

Connec cut�

Map of Case Study Islands. Wind data and categorization from NREL (2015).

• Highlight the need and opportunity to engage island and coastal communities in the process of siting new ocean uses including offshore wind;

• Inform the development of best practices for engaging stakeholders that are being developed through the offshore wind industry and the regional ocean planning process;

• Connect what we are seeing “on the ground” in New England with global research efforts

Acknowledgments• U.S. Department of Energy’s

WINDExchange Program• Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation • University of British Columbia• Case study representatives• Report reviewers• Sarah Klain and Island Institute staff

teamwww.islandinstitute.org/oswreport

Engaging Communities in Offshore Wind: Case Studies and Lessons Learned from New England Islands

Sarah KlainAaron on Flikr

Suzanne MacDonald, Nicholas BattistaRebecca Clark Uchenna, Brooks Winner

Don Shall

Dave WilsonSarah Klain

Incisive Media

Colm O. Laoi

0%

20%

40%

60%

Encou

raged

Toler

ated

Discou

raged

Prohibit

ed

Not su

re

Opinion

Perc

ent o

fR

espo

nden

ts EncouragedToleratedDiscouragedProhibitedNot sure

In your opinion, construction of offshorewind turbines off the coast of your state should be:

N = 400

Source: Klain, in prep, Public Opinion and Offshore Wind in Coastal New England States

Block Island

The Economist, August 19, 2010

Reve, Wind Energy and Electric Vehicle Review

Cape Wind

Seich Blog

GulfGeneral Public

Support

Site Specific Opposition

Goals

• Learn from past community engagement experiences – How was it conducted?– What went well?– What were major challenges?

• Improve quality of interactions during decision process– Communities– Developers– Government Agencies

Methods

• Literature Review– Decision science– Community benefits– Wind farm siting

• Case Study Comparison: 3 Islands– Document analysis – Informal interviews

Wind Data Source: National RenewableEnergy Lab (NREL)

Block Island, Rhode Island

Monhegan Island, Maine

Wind resource potential

Poor

Fair

Good

Excellent

Outstanding

Martha’s Vineyard,

Massachusetts

Maine

Vermont

Massachusetts

New Hampshire

Connecticut

Case Studies

Results

• Make mutual learning accessible• Provide community benefits

Lesson 1: Make mutual learning accessible

• Readily Available and Appropriate Information• Deliberative Learning• Mindful of the Messenger• Bridging Organizations• Timing of engagement

> 1 year of engagement before specific sites are selected

Lesson 2:Provide community benefits

• Confront distribution issues– Global benefits– Local costs

• Avoid perception of community benefit as bribe• Goal: “means of creating greater equity” (Aitken,

2010)• Work best when custom tailored

– Denmark & Germany: Cooperative models– UK: developers pay into fund for community

organizations

What��are�the�impacts?�-�Environmental�

-�Social�-�Economic�

How�are�impacts�perceived?�-�Posi vely�-�Nega vely�

Why�&�how�to�provide�benefits?�-�Share�economic�

gains�associated�with�using�public�resource�-�Recognize�hosts�

-�Account�for�impact�-�Compensate�for�specific

los se s�-�Other��

Government�Authori es� Communi es� Developers�

Appropriate��Community��Benefits�

Stakeholders�

To�collabora vely�develop�

Who��should�benefit? �Beneficiary�communi es��

can�be�defined�by�-�Loca ons:�town,�island�-�Interests/prac ces:�fishermen,�sailors�-�Groups�adversely�impacted:�fishermen��-�Organiza ons:�energy�coopera ves,��

�conserva on�groups�������-�Other�a ributes:�demographic�

���characteris cs�

��

Adapted from Rudolph et al. 2015

Offshore Wind Farm Pioneers, Block Island

Stephan Savola/AP

• Timing & Deliberative Learning– RI Ocean Special Area

Management Plan (SAMP) before wind farm proposed

• Bridging liaisons– New Shoreham selected and

hired consultants to represent their interests

– Deepwater reimbursed town for this expense

Offshore Wind Farm Pioneers, Block Island

• Community benefits– Fiber-optic cable bundled with

electrical cable– Anticipated electricity

• Cost reduction• Price stabilization

Stephan Savola/AP

Cooperative Approach onMartha’s Vineyard

• Timing– Martha’s Vineyard’s Island Plan

(2009)– Led to renewable energy

cooperative

• Readily Available & Appropriate Information– Interactive offshore wind map

viewer

Trip Adviser

Neal Wellons

Cooperative Approach onMartha’s Vineyard

• Community Benefits– Vineyard Power

• Community owned renewable energy cooperative

– Creation of Community Benefit Agreement with developerÆ BOEM gave developer discounted

bid price during auction

Neal Wellons

Trip Adviser

Ben Chrisman

Confronting Deep Water Challenges on Monhegan Island, Maine

• Timing & deliberative learning– Public meetings – “Kitchen table” discussions– Offshore Wind Energy Information

Exchange – Mapping Working Waters

• Challenges– UMaine limited time to inform

islanders about change in project scope• Small scale portable to• Large scale stationary

Confronting Deep Water Challenges on Monhegan Island, Maine

Ben Chrisman

• Lack of clarity on community benefits

• UMaine got $3.7 mill grant– Still in competition for

$47 mill grant• More time to learn from

experiences of others

Take Home

• Make mutual learning accessible– Defensible– Salient– Legitimate

• Community benefits – Tailored to community needs

Craig Denford ©

References & Acknowledgement for Graphics

Aitken, M. (2010). Wind power and community benefits: Challenges and opportunities. Energy Policy, 38(10), 6066–6075. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2010.05.062Rudolph, D., Haggett, C., & Aitken, M. (2015). Community Benefits from Offshore Renewables: Good Practice Review. ClimateXChange (pp. 1–50).

Case Study PerspectivesBlock Island, RI• Kim Gaffett

– former Town Council member• Bill Penn

– Block Island Residents Association– Block Island Utility Task Group

• Bryan Wilson– Deepwater Wind

Deepwater Wind

Case Study PerspectivesMartha’s Vineyard, MA• Richard Andre

– Vineyard Power• Erik Peckar

– Vineyard Power

Case Study PerspectivesMonhegan, ME• Marian Chioffi

– Monhegan Energy Task Force– Monhegan Plantation Power District

• Jake Ward– University of Maine

Audience Q&A

Please enter your question into the text box.

Thank You• Download the report:

www.islandinstitute.org/oswreport• Request hard copies:

[email protected]