In the United States, leasing land to wind energy developers continues to be the most common way rural landowners are participating in wind energy. As the wind industry grows, wind developers are increasing the amount of land they are leasing to keep their future market share from slipping away. Because of this, landowners in windy areas need solid advice about wind energy and what signing a wind energy lease or easement means to both them and future generations who will inherit the land.

Like landowners, many developers of wind projects, both with a community focus and otherwise, can be unfamiliar with the concerns of wind project owners and how to approach them in a respectful and fair way. In an effort to help developers understand how to be equitable in sharing the returns, Windustry has come up with best practices to help the negotiation process move along more smoothly. To help both landowners and developers navigate leases and easements, Windustry developed several documents that provide information about legal issues, fair compensation packages, and best practices. These documents were completed in September, 2005, and updated versions for the Toolbox are forthcoming. Meanwhile, please check out the existing documents, which still provide valuable information on leases and easements.

Click here to go to the existing Leases and Easements package.