Nova Scotia has an aggressive energy strategy which if successful will result in 40% of electricity generated from renewable sources by 2020. A significant portion of this target, 100 MW generating capacity, is to be met using large small-scale wind projects developed by community residents and cooperatives. The expected community participation prompts a renewed interest in, and importance of social acceptance of wind power development. This paper identifies important criteria that should be considered relating to community consultation and essential components for the development of consultation guidelines, which will ultimately impact social acceptance of community scale renewable energy projects. Crown Copyright (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.