Wind Turbine Payback in Indian River County, FL
Wind turbine payback in Indian River 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 Indian River County, FL averages 4.78 m/s (10.7 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 11,082 kWh a year, worth $1,698 at FL's 15.32¢/kWh. Against an installed cost of about $100,000, that is a payback of 59 years, and the turbine is built to last about 20.
What to do in Indian River County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Indian River County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 7.8 m/s at the hub against 4.78 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,445 kWh a year here against the turbine's 1,108, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 45¢/kWh, 2.9 times what FL pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 7.8 m/s instead of 4.78. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of FL
Indian River County is the 1,573rd 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 Indian River County
March is the strongest month here, at 5.51 m/s and about 1,367 kWh. July is the weakest, 3.43 m/s and 345 kWh, so the best month makes 4.0 times the worst. November to March brings in 55% of the year's output in Indian River County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.44 m/s | 1,324 kWh | $203 |
| February | 5.26 m/s | 1,099 kWh | $168 |
| March | 5.51 m/s | 1,367 kWh | $209 |
| April | 5.25 m/s | 1,173 kWh | $180 |
| May | 4.80 m/s | 953 kWh | $146 |
| June | 3.85 m/s | 479 kWh | $73 |
| July | 3.43 m/s | 345 kWh | $53 |
| August | 3.64 m/s | 418 kWh | $64 |
| September | 4.32 m/s | 683 kWh | $105 |
| October | 5.12 m/s | 1,134 kWh | $174 |
| November | 5.44 m/s | 1,281 kWh | $196 |
| December | 5.35 m/s | 1,270 kWh | $195 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Indian River County averages 3.67 m/s; at 50 m it is 5.41 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.241, typical of ordinary open country. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 8,392 to 15,390 kWh a year, 83% 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 | 4.34 m/s | 8,392 kWh | 78 years |
| 30 m | 4.78 m/s | 11,104 kWh | 59 years |
| 40 m | 5.13 m/s | 13,399 kWh | 49 years |
| 50 m | 5.41 m/s | 15,390 kWh | 42 years |
Counties around Indian River County
2 of the 6 closest counties are windier at turbine height; the windiest, Brevard County, averages 5.62 m/s.
- St. Lucie County, FL: 4.78 m/s, 11,082 kWh, payback 59 years (24 mi)
- Okeechobee County, FL: 4.78 m/s, 11,082 kWh, payback 59 years (29 mi)
- Brevard County, FL: 5.62 m/s, 16,907 kWh, payback 39 years (42 mi)
- Osceola County, FL: 4.57 m/s, 9,763 kWh, payback 67 years (42 mi)
- Martin County, FL: 4.82 m/s, 11,341 kWh, payback 58 years (44 mi)
- Highlands County, FL: 4.47 m/s, 9,160 kWh, payback 71 years (53 mi)
Sun versus wind in Indian River County
Indian River County gets 4.95 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,445 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 1,108. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 1.3 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.