Wind Turbine Payback in Jackson County, MS
Wind turbine payback in Jackson 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 Jackson County, MS averages 4.9 m/s (11 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 11,866 kWh a year, worth $1,787 at MS's 15.06¢/kWh. Against an installed cost of about $100,000, that is a payback of 56 years, and the turbine is built to last about 20.
What to do in Jackson County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Jackson County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 7.9 m/s at the hub against 4.9 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,405 kWh a year here against the turbine's 1,187, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 42¢/kWh, 2.8 times what MS pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 7.9 m/s instead of 4.9. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of MS
Jackson County is the 1,502nd 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 Jackson County
January is the strongest month here, at 5.66 m/s and about 1,464 kWh. July is the weakest, 3.69 m/s and 436 kWh, so the best month makes 3.4 times the worst. November to March brings in 56% of the year's output in Jackson County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.66 m/s | 1,464 kWh | $220 |
| February | 5.66 m/s | 1,317 kWh | $198 |
| March | 5.55 m/s | 1,390 kWh | $209 |
| April | 5.39 m/s | 1,254 kWh | $189 |
| May | 4.68 m/s | 887 kWh | $134 |
| June | 4.01 m/s | 546 kWh | $82 |
| July | 3.69 m/s | 436 kWh | $66 |
| August | 3.74 m/s | 454 kWh | $68 |
| September | 4.43 m/s | 735 kWh | $111 |
| October | 4.98 m/s | 1,053 kWh | $159 |
| November | 5.35 m/s | 1,232 kWh | $186 |
| December | 5.64 m/s | 1,447 kWh | $218 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Jackson County averages 4.02 m/s; at 50 m it is 5.37 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.180, typical of very open, smooth ground where height adds little. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 9,662 to 15,105 kWh a year, 56% 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 | 4.55 m/s | 9,662 kWh | 69 years |
| 30 m | 4.9 m/s | 11,855 kWh | 56 years |
| 40 m | 5.16 m/s | 13,619 kWh | 49 years |
| 50 m | 5.37 m/s | 15,105 kWh | 44 years |
Counties around Jackson County
None of the 6 closest counties is windier than Jackson County.
- Harrison County, MS: 3.35 m/s, 3,757 kWh, payback over 100 years (27 mi)
- George County, MS: 3.41 m/s, 3,980 kWh, payback over 100 years (28 mi)
- Mobile County, AL: 4.72 m/s, 10,698 kWh, payback 57 years (30 mi)
- Stone County, MS: 2.93 m/s, 2,398 kWh, payback over 100 years (37 mi)
- Hancock County, MS: 3.35 m/s, 3,757 kWh, payback over 100 years (51 mi)
- Greene County, MS: 3.41 m/s, 3,980 kWh, payback over 100 years (52 mi)
Sun versus wind in Jackson County
Jackson County gets 4.81 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,405 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 1,187. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 1.2 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.