Wind Turbine Payback in Caledonia County, VT
Wind turbine payback in Caledonia County
No. The turbine wears out before it pays for itself.
At 30 m, the height a home turbine tower usually reaches, the wind in Caledonia County, VT averages 3.6 m/s (8.1 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 4,736 kWh a year, worth $1,133 at VT's 23.93¢/kWh. Against an installed cost of about $100,000, that is a payback of 88 years, and the turbine is built to last about 20.
What to do in Caledonia County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Caledonia County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 6.2 m/s at the hub against 3.6 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,013 kWh a year here against the turbine's 474, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 106¢/kWh, 4.4 times what VT pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 6.2 m/s instead of 3.6. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of VT
Caledonia County is the 2,402nd windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in VT is Franklin County at 3.97 m/s, payback 65 years.
Month by month in Caledonia County
March is the strongest month here, at 4.34 m/s and about 713 kWh. August is the weakest, 2.82 m/s and 179 kWh, so the best month makes 4.0 times the worst. November to March brings in 60% of the year's output in Caledonia County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.20 m/s | 647 kWh | $155 |
| February | 4.48 m/s | 706 kWh | $169 |
| March | 4.34 m/s | 713 kWh | $171 |
| April | 4.05 m/s | 563 kWh | $135 |
| May | 3.39 m/s | 333 kWh | $80 |
| June | 3.02 m/s | 219 kWh | $52 |
| July | 2.83 m/s | 181 kWh | $43 |
| August | 2.82 m/s | 179 kWh | $43 |
| September | 3.02 m/s | 219 kWh | $52 |
| October | 3.43 m/s | 346 kWh | $83 |
| November | 3.69 m/s | 420 kWh | $101 |
| December | 3.93 m/s | 530 kWh | $127 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Caledonia County averages 2.31 m/s; at 50 m it is 4.42 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.403, typical of rough, sheltered ground: trees or buildings slow the low wind a lot. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 2,767 to 8,865 kWh a year, 220% more, before counting the extra cost of the taller tower. Why tower height decides it explains the shear behind these numbers.
| Hub height | Average wind | Output | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 m | 3.06 m/s | 2,767 kWh | over 100 years |
| 30 m | 3.6 m/s | 4,726 kWh | 88 years |
| 40 m | 4.04 m/s | 6,779 kWh | 62 years |
| 50 m | 4.42 m/s | 8,865 kWh | 47 years |
Counties around Caledonia County
1 of the 6 closest counties is windier at turbine height; the windiest, Orleans County, averages 3.77 m/s.
- Essex County, VT: 3.6 m/s, 4,736 kWh, payback 88 years (26 mi)
- Orleans County, VT: 3.77 m/s, 5,477 kWh, payback 76 years (26 mi)
- Lamoille County, VT: 3.55 m/s, 4,530 kWh, payback 92 years (27 mi)
- Washington County, VT: 3.55 m/s, 4,530 kWh, payback 92 years (28 mi)
- Orange County, VT: 3.55 m/s, 4,530 kWh, payback 92 years (35 mi)
- Grafton County, NH: 3.51 m/s, 4,368 kWh, payback 85 years (40 mi)
Sun versus wind in Caledonia County
Caledonia County gets 3.47 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,013 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 474. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 2.1 times as much here as the turbine. Panel output assumes an 80% system performance ratio. Wind or solar runs the same comparison for every county.
How this is worked out
Wind is NASA's Power climate record, the 2001-2025 average at 10 m and 50 m for the county's centre, carried to 30 m with this county's own measured wind shear and spread into hours with a Rayleigh distribution. The turbine is a generic 10 kW, 7 m rotor machine with 10% losses. Cost is $10,000 per kW installed with no tax credit, because the federal one ended in 2025. One county-centre number cannot see your hilltop or your tree line, so treat it as the starting point for a site survey, not a substitute. The full method and its weak spots are in how the numbers are made.