Wind Turbine Payback in Duval County, FL
Wind turbine payback in Duval 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 Duval County, FL averages 3.42 m/s (7.7 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 4,018 kWh a year, worth $616 at FL's 15.32¢/kWh. Against an installed cost of about $100,000, that is a payback of over 100 years, and the turbine is built to last about 20.
What to do in Duval County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Duval County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 7.8 m/s at the hub against 3.42 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,399 kWh a year here against the turbine's 402, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 124¢/kWh, 8.1 times what FL pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 7.8 m/s instead of 3.42. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of FL
Duval County is the 2,596th windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in FL is Brevard County at 5.62 m/s, payback 39 years.
Month by month in Duval County
March is the strongest month here, at 3.79 m/s and about 472 kWh. July is the weakest, 2.82 m/s and 178 kWh, so the best month makes 2.7 times the worst. November to March brings in 50% of the year's output in Duval County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.67 m/s | 429 kWh | $66 |
| February | 3.69 m/s | 393 kWh | $60 |
| March | 3.79 m/s | 472 kWh | $72 |
| April | 3.75 m/s | 441 kWh | $68 |
| May | 3.45 m/s | 352 kWh | $54 |
| June | 2.99 m/s | 211 kWh | $32 |
| July | 2.82 m/s | 178 kWh | $27 |
| August | 2.87 m/s | 191 kWh | $29 |
| September | 3.36 m/s | 313 kWh | $48 |
| October | 3.49 m/s | 365 kWh | $56 |
| November | 3.58 m/s | 384 kWh | $59 |
| December | 3.57 m/s | 391 kWh | $60 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Duval County averages 2.2 m/s; at 50 m it is 4.2 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.402, typical of rough, sheltered ground: trees or buildings slow the low wind a lot. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 2,331 to 7,623 kWh a year, 227% 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 | 2.91 m/s | 2,331 kWh | over 100 years |
| 30 m | 3.42 m/s | 4,019 kWh | over 100 years |
| 40 m | 3.84 m/s | 5,799 kWh | over 100 years |
| 50 m | 4.2 m/s | 7,623 kWh | 86 years |
Counties around Duval County
3 of the 6 closest counties are windier at turbine height; the windiest, St. Johns County, averages 4.52 m/s.
- Nassau County, FL: 3.42 m/s, 4,018 kWh, payback over 100 years (20 mi)
- Clay County, FL: 3.85 m/s, 5,847 kWh, payback over 100 years (27 mi)
- St. Johns County, FL: 4.52 m/s, 9,459 kWh, payback 69 years (34 mi)
- Baker County, FL: 3.01 m/s, 2,631 kWh, payback over 100 years (39 mi)
- Camden County, GA: 3.28 m/s, 3,506 kWh, payback over 100 years (40 mi)
- Bradford County, FL: 3.85 m/s, 5,847 kWh, payback over 100 years (41 mi)
Sun versus wind in Duval County
Duval County gets 4.79 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,399 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 402. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 3.5 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.