Wind Turbine Payback in Hoke County, NC
Wind turbine payback in Hoke 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 Hoke County, NC averages 4.43 m/s (9.9 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 8,924 kWh a year, worth $1,333 at NC's 14.94¢/kWh. Against an installed cost of about $100,000, that is a payback of 75 years, and the turbine is built to last about 20.
What to do in Hoke County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Hoke County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 7.9 m/s at the hub against 4.43 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,296 kWh a year here against the turbine's 892, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 56¢/kWh, 3.8 times what NC pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 7.9 m/s instead of 4.43. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of NC
Hoke County is the 1,797th windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in NC is Dare County at 6.91 m/s, payback 25 years.
Month by month in Hoke County
April is the strongest month here, at 5.20 m/s and about 1,144 kWh. August is the weakest, 3.47 m/s and 359 kWh, so the best month makes 3.2 times the worst. November to March brings in 51% of the year's output in Hoke County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.81 m/s | 955 kWh | $143 |
| February | 5.00 m/s | 963 kWh | $144 |
| March | 5.11 m/s | 1,126 kWh | $168 |
| April | 5.20 m/s | 1,144 kWh | $171 |
| May | 4.46 m/s | 774 kWh | $116 |
| June | 3.83 m/s | 471 kWh | $70 |
| July | 3.61 m/s | 406 kWh | $61 |
| August | 3.47 m/s | 359 kWh | $54 |
| September | 4.16 m/s | 609 kWh | $91 |
| October | 4.38 m/s | 735 kWh | $110 |
| November | 4.56 m/s | 800 kWh | $120 |
| December | 4.60 m/s | 844 kWh | $126 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Hoke County averages 3.2 m/s; at 50 m it is 5.15 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.296, typical of ordinary open country. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 6,214 to 13,560 kWh a year, 118% 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 | 3.93 m/s | 6,214 kWh | over 100 years |
| 30 m | 4.43 m/s | 8,908 kWh | 75 years |
| 40 m | 4.82 m/s | 11,347 kWh | 59 years |
| 50 m | 5.15 m/s | 13,560 kWh | 49 years |
Counties around Hoke County
2 of the 6 closest counties are windier at turbine height; the windiest, Robeson County, averages 5 m/s.
- Scotland County, NC: 4.43 m/s, 8,924 kWh, payback 75 years (18 mi)
- Cumberland County, NC: 4.96 m/s, 12,266 kWh, payback 55 years (23 mi)
- Moore County, NC: 3.54 m/s, 4,489 kWh, payback over 100 years (25 mi)
- Robeson County, NC: 5 m/s, 12,535 kWh, payback 53 years (27 mi)
- Richmond County, NC: 3.53 m/s, 4,449 kWh, payback over 100 years (29 mi)
- Lee County, NC: 3.54 m/s, 4,489 kWh, payback over 100 years (32 mi)
Sun versus wind in Hoke County
Hoke County gets 4.44 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,296 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 892. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 1.5 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.