Wind Turbine Payback in Dare County, NC
Wind turbine payback in Dare 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 Dare County, NC averages 6.91 m/s (15.5 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 26,397 kWh a year, worth $3,944 at NC's 14.94¢/kWh. Against an installed cost of about $100,000, that is a payback of 25 years, and the turbine is built to last about 20.
What to do in Dare County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Dare County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 7.9 m/s at the hub against 6.91 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,270 kWh a year here against the turbine's 2,640, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 19¢/kWh, 1.3 times what NC pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 7.9 m/s instead of 6.91. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of NC
Dare County is the 23rd windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. It is the windiest county in NC.
Month by month in Dare County
March is the strongest month here, at 7.86 m/s and about 2,795 kWh. August is the weakest, 5.44 m/s and 1,323 kWh, so the best month makes 2.1 times the worst. November to March brings in 49% of the year's output in Dare County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.82 m/s | 2,774 kWh | $414 |
| February | 7.93 m/s | 2,562 kWh | $383 |
| March | 7.86 m/s | 2,795 kWh | $418 |
| April | 7.75 m/s | 2,649 kWh | $396 |
| May | 6.71 m/s | 2,120 kWh | $317 |
| June | 6.07 m/s | 1,662 kWh | $248 |
| July | 6.04 m/s | 1,699 kWh | $254 |
| August | 5.44 m/s | 1,323 kWh | $198 |
| September | 6.35 m/s | 1,835 kWh | $274 |
| October | 6.49 m/s | 1,985 kWh | $297 |
| November | 7.12 m/s | 2,292 kWh | $342 |
| December | 7.47 m/s | 2,575 kWh | $385 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Dare County averages 6.12 m/s; at 50 m it is 7.31 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.110, typical of very open, smooth ground where height adds little. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 24,209 to 29,229 kWh a year, 21% 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 | 6.61 m/s | 24,209 kWh | 28 years |
| 30 m | 6.91 m/s | 26,401 kWh | 25 years |
| 40 m | 7.13 m/s | 27,987 kWh | 24 years |
| 50 m | 7.31 m/s | 29,229 kWh | 23 years |
Counties around Dare County
None of the 6 closest counties is windier than Dare County.
- Hyde County, NC: 5.79 m/s, 18,153 kWh, payback 37 years (26 mi)
- Tyrrell County, NC: 4.97 m/s, 12,333 kWh, payback 54 years (29 mi)
- Washington County, NC: 4.96 m/s, 12,266 kWh, payback 55 years (48 mi)
- Pasquotank County, NC: 5.82 m/s, 18,374 kWh, payback 36 years (53 mi)
- Perquimans County, NC: 4.97 m/s, 12,333 kWh, payback 54 years (53 mi)
- Currituck County, NC: 5.82 m/s, 18,374 kWh, payback 36 years (54 mi)
Sun versus wind in Dare County
Dare County gets 4.35 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,270 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 2,640. This is one of the rare places where a kilowatt of turbine out-produces a kilowatt of panels, by 2.1 times. 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.