Wind Turbine Payback in Dolores County, CO
Wind turbine payback in Dolores 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 Dolores County, CO averages 4.23 m/s (9.5 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 7,787 kWh a year, worth $1,308 at CO's 16.8¢/kWh. Against an installed cost of about $100,000, that is a payback of 76 years, and the turbine is built to last about 20.
What to do in Dolores County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Dolores County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 7.4 m/s at the hub against 4.23 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,545 kWh a year here against the turbine's 779, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 64¢/kWh, 3.8 times what CO pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 7.4 m/s instead of 4.23. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of CO
Dolores County is the 1,926th windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in CO is Baca County at 6.65 m/s, payback 24 years.
Month by month in Dolores County
April is the strongest month here, at 4.98 m/s and about 1,018 kWh. August is the weakest, 3.43 m/s and 345 kWh, so the best month makes 3.0 times the worst. November to March brings in 43% of the year's output in Dolores County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.14 m/s | 621 kWh | $104 |
| February | 4.44 m/s | 689 kWh | $116 |
| March | 4.67 m/s | 882 kWh | $148 |
| April | 4.98 m/s | 1,018 kWh | $171 |
| May | 4.53 m/s | 811 kWh | $136 |
| June | 4.40 m/s | 718 kWh | $121 |
| July | 3.55 m/s | 386 kWh | $65 |
| August | 3.43 m/s | 345 kWh | $58 |
| September | 4.01 m/s | 543 kWh | $91 |
| October | 4.33 m/s | 709 kWh | $119 |
| November | 4.27 m/s | 658 kWh | $111 |
| December | 4.03 m/s | 572 kWh | $96 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Dolores County averages 3.01 m/s; at 50 m it is 4.95 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.309, typical of rough, sheltered ground: trees or buildings slow the low wind a lot. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 5,295 to 12,199 kWh a year, 130% 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 | 3.73 m/s | 5,295 kWh | over 100 years |
| 30 m | 4.23 m/s | 7,772 kWh | 77 years |
| 40 m | 4.62 m/s | 10,072 kWh | 59 years |
| 50 m | 4.95 m/s | 12,199 kWh | 49 years |
Counties around Dolores County
None of the 6 closest counties is windier than Dolores County.
- San Miguel County, CO: 3.84 m/s, 5,800 kWh, payback over 100 years (20 mi)
- Montezuma County, CO: 4.23 m/s, 7,787 kWh, payback 76 years (28 mi)
- San Juan County, CO: 3.36 m/s, 3,794 kWh, payback over 100 years (46 mi)
- La Plata County, CO: 4.22 m/s, 7,732 kWh, payback 77 years (48 mi)
- Montrose County, CO: 3.93 m/s, 6,231 kWh, payback 96 years (48 mi)
- Ouray County, CO: 3.36 m/s, 3,794 kWh, payback over 100 years (49 mi)
Sun versus wind in Dolores County
Dolores County gets 5.29 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,545 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 779. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 2.0 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.