How much money does a municipality receive from a wind farm?

Under § 6 EEG, operators can offer host municipalities 0.2 cents per kilowatt-hour fed into the grid. For a modern wind farm this quickly amounts to several tens of thousands up to more than one hundred thousand euros per year — in addition to the trade tax (Gewerbesteuer), which since 2021 flows to the host municipality at 90 %.

How can citizens participate in a wind farm?

Through community-wind cooperatives (shares in the operating company), savings bonds or subordinated loans with a fixed interest rate, regional electricity tariffs with discounted wind power, and citizens' foundations that reinvest revenue locally.

Guide · Community Participation

Community Participation in Wind Farms: Who Benefits?

In short: Today a wind farm brings the host municipality tangible money — via the municipal payment under § 6 EEG (0.2 ct/kWh) and the trade tax (Gewerbesteuer), 90 % of which stays local. Citizens can participate financially (cooperative, savings bond, discounted electricity). Acceptance grows where the value creation stays in the region.

1. What the Municipality Receives

Source	Order of magnitude
§ 6 EEG municipal payment	0.2 ct per kWh fed into the grid — can be offered voluntarily, tax-free for the municipality
Trade tax (Gewerbesteuer)	since 2021, 90 % to the host municipality (tax apportionment)
Lease on municipal land	where the municipality itself is the landowner

Example: A farm feeding in 50 GWh per year brings around EUR 100,000 per year to the municipality through § 6 EEG alone — over the operating life a multi-million figure, predictable and independent of the budget.

2. How Citizens Can Participate

Community-wind cooperative (Bürgerwind-Genossenschaft): shares in the operating company, voting rights and profit distribution. The strongest model for local identification — more under Community Wind.
Savings bond / subordinated loan: a fixed interest rate for residents, without entrepreneurial co-responsibility. Low entry amounts.
Regional electricity tariff: residents draw discounted power from "their" wind farm.
Citizens' foundation / common-good fund: part of the revenue flows into local projects (daycare, clubs, village community).

3. Why This Determines Acceptance

Studies on the acceptance of wind energy show the same finding: opposition drops markedly when local people share economically — instead of merely seeing the turbines while the returns flow elsewhere. Early, honest participation in both planning and revenue is the most effective acceptance factor.

Repowering angle: In repowering, an existing — and often already accepted — site is modernised. This is the ideal moment to introduce or improve a fair participation model: the higher yields of the new turbines create the room to do so.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the § 6 EEG payment mandatory?

No, it is a voluntary offer from the operator to the municipality — but it is used very frequently because it makes the permit politically easier. For the municipality it is exempt from income and corporation tax.

Is a community-wind investment financially worthwhile?

It can offer attractive returns, but it is an entrepreneurial investment with risk (wind, electricity price, technology). Savings bonds carry less risk but pay lower interest. An investment should be examined like any other financial investment — we do not provide investment advice.

Do neighbouring municipalities also get a share?

Since the EEG amendment, municipalities in the surrounding area can also be given a (proportional) share of the § 6 payment when turbines stand close to the municipal boundary. This defuses conflicts between neighbouring localities.

Community participation in a wind farm: the municipality receives the Section 6 EEG municipal payment of 0.2 ct per kWh tax-free, trade tax 90 percent to the host municipality since 2021, and lease on municipal land. Example: 50 GWh per year yields EUR 100,000 per year. Participation models for citizens: community-wind cooperative (strongest model), savings bond with fixed interest, regional electricity tariff, citizens' foundation. Acceptance rises when value creation stays in the region

Community participation in a wind farm – municipal payment, trade tax and participation models

Planning a repowering project and want to set up a fair participation model? We connect operators and municipalities with experienced engineering firms.

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