Wind Energy, School Budgets and Classroom Outcomes: Empirical Evidence of How They Interact?

Recorded On: 05/21/2020

 Over 600 school districts in the United States have utility-scale turbines installed in their communities and many of those installations provide tax revenue that is directed to the district. This tax revenue can be used for a variety of expenses including capital projects and current expenses. As wind development continues, new wind projects will provide significant additional annual tax revenues for local school jurisdictions. LBNL will present the first national analysis examining if historical wind development’s tax payments have flowed to schools, been used for various expenditures, resulted in changes to the teacher-student ratios, and tied to changes in student achievement.

In this presentation, we will unpack that research and present to attendees the preliminary findings. Given time, we can also summarize the range of tax policies in the U.S. that affect these potential flows of monies to local schools, including if and by how much local resident tax burdens in wind-rich areas have been affected.

Adam Stern (Moderator)

Research and Analytics Manager

As a Research and Analytics Manager at the American Wind Energy Association, Adam provides economic analysis, market assessment, and energy policy analysis to support AWEA’s legislative and regulatory agendas. Prior to working at AWEA, Adam spent five years as an Economist at the U.S. Department of Interior, specializing in energy production on federal lands. Adam holds a M.S. in Resource Economics and Policy from the University of Maine. 

Ben Hoen

Research Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Ben Hoen is a Research Scientist in the Electricity Markets and Policy Group at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Ben conducts research and analysis on renewable energy, including: renewable energy policy analysis and assistance; cost, benefit, and market analysis; and, public acceptance and deployment barriers. Ben leads the Berkeley Lab's role in the maintaining of the U.S. Wind Turbine Database and led past efforts such as the National Survey of Wind Project Neighbors and multiple investigations of property value effects of homes near wind projects or with solar systems installed on them. Since joining the lab in 2006, Ben has authored or co-authored more than 50 publications, including articles published in the Journal of Real Estate Research, Contemporary Economic Policy, RE Focus, the Appraisal Journal, Energy Research & Social Science and Energy Economics

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05/21/2020 at 2:00 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 05/21/2020
05/21/2020 at 2:00 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 05/21/2020
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