Community benefit funds are generated as a result of developers partaking in the government’s Offshore Renewable Energy Support Scheme (ORESS). ORESS is an auction-based system designed to guarantee developers a fixed price for their generated electricity over the lifetime of the project. In turn developers are obliged to donate (to the community?) €2 for every MW/hour they generate which may amount to approximately €2-4 million in contributions per year based on a development of the size that is proposed on the Irish coastline. This is a sizeable amount of money for communities but remember the guaranteed price paid to wind operators comes from the public purse and from us, the customers, and the ‘community benefit’ funds must be paid to communities regardless of how near or far from the coast a wind farm is located. Additionally, successful projects will be paid for electricity they generate even if the grid cannot accept the load. This may happen in times of high winds and low demand. In this case, the taxpayer will pay for electricity that is not being used.