Wind Turbine Payback in Geneva County, AL
Wind turbine payback in Geneva 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 Geneva County, AL averages 4.39 m/s (9.8 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 8,690 kWh a year, worth $1,435 at AL's 16.51¢/kWh. Against an installed cost of about $100,000, that is a payback of 70 years, and the turbine is built to last about 20.
What to do in Geneva County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Geneva County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 7.5 m/s at the hub against 4.39 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,387 kWh a year here against the turbine's 869, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 58¢/kWh, 3.5 times what AL pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 7.5 m/s instead of 4.39. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of AL
Geneva County is the 1,825th windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in AL is Mobile County at 4.72 m/s, payback 57 years.
Month by month in Geneva County
March is the strongest month here, at 4.98 m/s and about 1,053 kWh. July is the weakest, 3.43 m/s and 345 kWh, so the best month makes 3.1 times the worst. November to March brings in 55% of the year's output in Geneva County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.94 m/s | 1,028 kWh | $170 |
| February | 4.95 m/s | 938 kWh | $155 |
| March | 4.98 m/s | 1,053 kWh | $174 |
| April | 4.75 m/s | 893 kWh | $147 |
| May | 4.16 m/s | 628 kWh | $104 |
| June | 3.59 m/s | 385 kWh | $64 |
| July | 3.43 m/s | 345 kWh | $57 |
| August | 3.48 m/s | 359 kWh | $59 |
| September | 4.22 m/s | 635 kWh | $105 |
| October | 4.56 m/s | 822 kWh | $136 |
| November | 4.82 m/s | 930 kWh | $154 |
| December | 4.84 m/s | 975 kWh | $161 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Geneva County averages 3.21 m/s; at 50 m it is 5.08 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.285, typical of ordinary open country. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 6,146 to 13,078 kWh a year, 113% 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 | 3.91 m/s | 6,146 kWh | 99 years |
| 30 m | 4.39 m/s | 8,700 kWh | 70 years |
| 40 m | 4.77 m/s | 10,999 kWh | 55 years |
| 50 m | 5.08 m/s | 13,078 kWh | 46 years |
Counties around Geneva County
1 of the 6 closest counties is windier at turbine height; the windiest, Houston County, averages 4.4 m/s.
- Holmes County, FL: 4.39 m/s, 8,690 kWh, payback 75 years (16 mi)
- Coffee County, AL: 3.1 m/s, 2,906 kWh, payback over 100 years (24 mi)
- Dale County, AL: 3.29 m/s, 3,541 kWh, payback over 100 years (27 mi)
- Houston County, AL: 4.4 m/s, 8,748 kWh, payback 69 years (31 mi)
- Washington County, FL: 4.33 m/s, 8,346 kWh, payback 78 years (35 mi)
- Covington County, AL: 3.69 m/s, 5,121 kWh, payback over 100 years (39 mi)
Sun versus wind in Geneva County
Geneva County gets 4.75 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,387 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 869. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 1.6 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.