Wind Turbine Payback in Harrison County, MS
Wind turbine payback in Harrison 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 Harrison County, MS averages 3.35 m/s (7.5 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 3,757 kWh a year, worth $566 at MS's 15.06¢/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 Harrison County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Harrison County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 7.9 m/s at the hub against 3.35 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,384 kWh a year here against the turbine's 376, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 133¢/kWh, 8.8 times what MS pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 7.9 m/s instead of 3.35. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of MS
Harrison County is the 2,683rd windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in MS is DeSoto County at 5.13 m/s, payback 50 years.
Month by month in Harrison County
March is the strongest month here, at 3.77 m/s and about 464 kWh. July is the weakest, 2.65 m/s and 143 kWh, so the best month makes 3.2 times the worst. November to March brings in 55% of the year's output in Harrison County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.72 m/s | 445 kWh | $67 |
| February | 3.77 m/s | 419 kWh | $63 |
| March | 3.77 m/s | 464 kWh | $70 |
| April | 3.72 m/s | 431 kWh | $65 |
| May | 3.29 m/s | 300 kWh | $45 |
| June | 2.85 m/s | 178 kWh | $27 |
| July | 2.65 m/s | 143 kWh | $22 |
| August | 2.70 m/s | 153 kWh | $23 |
| September | 3.12 m/s | 243 kWh | $37 |
| October | 3.41 m/s | 338 kWh | $51 |
| November | 3.59 m/s | 385 kWh | $58 |
| December | 3.67 m/s | 427 kWh | $64 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Harrison County averages 2.15 m/s; at 50 m it is 4.12 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.404, typical of rough, sheltered ground: trees or buildings slow the low wind a lot. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 2,166 to 7,195 kWh a year, 232% 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 | 2.85 m/s | 2,166 kWh | over 100 years |
| 30 m | 3.35 m/s | 3,763 kWh | over 100 years |
| 40 m | 3.76 m/s | 5,454 kWh | over 100 years |
| 50 m | 4.12 m/s | 7,195 kWh | 92 years |
Counties around Harrison County
3 of the 6 closest counties are windier at turbine height; the windiest, St. Bernard Parish, averages 5.27 m/s.
- Hancock County, MS: 3.35 m/s, 3,757 kWh, payback over 100 years (24 mi)
- Stone County, MS: 2.93 m/s, 2,398 kWh, payback over 100 years (26 mi)
- Jackson County, MS: 4.9 m/s, 11,866 kWh, payback 56 years (27 mi)
- St. Bernard Parish, LA: 5.27 m/s, 14,397 kWh, payback 52 years (36 mi)
- Pearl River County, MS: 2.93 m/s, 2,398 kWh, payback over 100 years (39 mi)
- George County, MS: 3.41 m/s, 3,980 kWh, payback over 100 years (40 mi)
Sun versus wind in Harrison County
Harrison County gets 4.74 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,384 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 376. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 3.7 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.