Wind Turbine Payback in Jefferson County, TX
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, TX averages 4.32 m/s (9.7 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 8,289 kWh a year, worth $1,329 at TX's 16.03¢/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 Jefferson County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Jefferson County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 7.6 m/s at the hub against 4.32 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,381 kWh a year here against the turbine's 829, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 60¢/kWh, 3.8 times what TX pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 7.6 m/s instead of 4.32. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of TX
Jefferson County is the 1,882nd windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in TX is Dallam County at 6.82 m/s, payback 24 years.
Month by month in Jefferson County
April is the strongest month here, at 4.99 m/s and about 1,026 kWh. August is the weakest, 3.43 m/s and 344 kWh, so the best month makes 3.0 times the worst. November to March brings in 51% of the year's output in Jefferson County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.66 m/s | 876 kWh | $140 |
| February | 4.79 m/s | 854 kWh | $137 |
| March | 4.81 m/s | 959 kWh | $154 |
| April | 4.99 m/s | 1,026 kWh | $164 |
| May | 4.58 m/s | 835 kWh | $134 |
| June | 3.86 m/s | 486 kWh | $78 |
| July | 3.50 m/s | 369 kWh | $59 |
| August | 3.43 m/s | 344 kWh | $55 |
| September | 3.76 m/s | 447 kWh | $72 |
| October | 4.24 m/s | 666 kWh | $107 |
| November | 4.51 m/s | 770 kWh | $123 |
| December | 4.70 m/s | 899 kWh | $144 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Jefferson County averages 3.08 m/s; at 50 m it is 5.05 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.307, typical of rough, sheltered ground: trees or buildings slow the low wind a lot. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 5,669 to 12,873 kWh a year, 127% 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 | 3.81 m/s | 5,669 kWh | over 100 years |
| 30 m | 4.32 m/s | 8,272 kWh | 75 years |
| 40 m | 4.72 m/s | 10,670 kWh | 59 years |
| 50 m | 5.05 m/s | 12,873 kWh | 49 years |
Counties around Jefferson County
5 of the 6 closest counties are windier at turbine height; the windiest, Chambers County, averages 5.76 m/s.
- Orange County, TX: 4.69 m/s, 10,508 kWh, payback 59 years (24 mi)
- Chambers County, TX: 5.76 m/s, 17,932 kWh, payback 35 years (33 mi)
- Hardin County, TX: 3.14 m/s, 3,034 kWh, payback over 100 years (36 mi)
- Liberty County, TX: 4.35 m/s, 8,460 kWh, payback 74 years (47 mi)
- Calcasieu Parish, LA: 5.34 m/s, 14,892 kWh, payback 51 years (54 mi)
- Cameron Parish, LA: 5.34 m/s, 14,892 kWh, payback 51 years (59 mi)
Sun versus wind in Jefferson County
Jefferson County gets 4.73 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,381 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 829. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 1.7 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.