Wind Turbine Payback in Jefferson County, FL
Wind turbine payback in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, FL averages 3.46 m/s (7.7 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 4,172 kWh a year, worth $639 at FL's 15.32¢/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 Jefferson County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Jefferson County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 7.8 m/s at the hub against 3.46 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,405 kWh a year here against the turbine's 417, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 120¢/kWh, 7.8 times what FL pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 7.8 m/s instead of 3.46. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of FL
Jefferson County is the 2,562nd 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 Jefferson County
March is the strongest month here, at 3.88 m/s and about 509 kWh. July is the weakest, 2.72 m/s and 158 kWh, so the best month makes 3.2 times the worst. November to March brings in 55% of the year's output in Jefferson County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.85 m/s | 496 kWh | $76 |
| February | 3.84 m/s | 445 kWh | $68 |
| March | 3.88 m/s | 509 kWh | $78 |
| April | 3.73 m/s | 434 kWh | $66 |
| May | 3.36 m/s | 321 kWh | $49 |
| June | 2.89 m/s | 188 kWh | $29 |
| July | 2.72 m/s | 158 kWh | $24 |
| August | 2.79 m/s | 172 kWh | $26 |
| September | 3.31 m/s | 296 kWh | $45 |
| October | 3.59 m/s | 397 kWh | $61 |
| November | 3.77 m/s | 452 kWh | $69 |
| December | 3.76 m/s | 461 kWh | $71 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Jefferson County averages 2.26 m/s; at 50 m it is 4.21 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.387, typical of rough, sheltered ground: trees or buildings slow the low wind a lot. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 2,464 to 7,678 kWh a year, 212% 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 | 2.95 m/s | 2,464 kWh | over 100 years |
| 30 m | 3.45 m/s | 4,152 kWh | over 100 years |
| 40 m | 3.86 m/s | 5,902 kWh | over 100 years |
| 50 m | 4.21 m/s | 7,678 kWh | 85 years |
Counties around Jefferson County
4 of the 6 closest counties are windier at turbine height; the windiest, Thomas County, averages 4.32 m/s.
- Leon County, FL: 3.01 m/s, 2,631 kWh, payback over 100 years (22 mi)
- Madison County, FL: 3.46 m/s, 4,172 kWh, payback over 100 years (27 mi)
- Thomas County, GA: 4.32 m/s, 8,289 kWh, payback 78 years (32 mi)
- Wakulla County, FL: 3.88 m/s, 5,989 kWh, payback over 100 years (34 mi)
- Taylor County, FL: 3.79 m/s, 5,568 kWh, payback over 100 years (34 mi)
- Brooks County, GA: 4.32 m/s, 8,289 kWh, payback 78 years (36 mi)
Sun versus wind in Jefferson County
Jefferson 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 417. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 3.4 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.