Wind Turbine Payback in Jefferson Davis Parish, LA
Wind turbine payback in Jefferson Davis Parish
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 Davis Parish, LA averages 3.83 m/s (8.6 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 5,753 kWh a year, worth $763 at LA's 13.27¢/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 Davis Parish
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Jefferson Davis Parish unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 8.6 m/s at the hub against 3.83 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,349 kWh a year here against the turbine's 575, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 87¢/kWh, 6.5 times what LA pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 8.6 m/s instead of 3.83. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of LA
Jefferson Davis Parish is the 2,190th windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in LA is Iberia Parish at 5.86 m/s, payback 40 years.
Month by month in Jefferson Davis Parish
April is the strongest month here, at 4.45 m/s and about 741 kWh. July is the weakest, 3.03 m/s and 229 kWh, so the best month makes 3.2 times the worst. November to March brings in 52% of the year's output in Jefferson Davis Parish.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.13 m/s | 617 kWh | $82 |
| February | 4.28 m/s | 619 kWh | $82 |
| March | 4.33 m/s | 709 kWh | $94 |
| April | 4.45 m/s | 741 kWh | $98 |
| May | 4.03 m/s | 569 kWh | $76 |
| June | 3.40 m/s | 323 kWh | $43 |
| July | 3.03 m/s | 229 kWh | $30 |
| August | 3.05 m/s | 234 kWh | $31 |
| September | 3.40 m/s | 323 kWh | $43 |
| October | 3.74 m/s | 452 kWh | $60 |
| November | 4.01 m/s | 544 kWh | $72 |
| December | 4.14 m/s | 620 kWh | $82 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Jefferson Davis Parish averages 2.54 m/s; at 50 m it is 4.63 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.373, typical of rough, sheltered ground: trees or buildings slow the low wind a lot. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 3,540 to 10,132 kWh a year, 186% 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 | 3.29 m/s | 3,540 kWh | over 100 years |
| 30 m | 3.83 m/s | 5,738 kWh | over 100 years |
| 40 m | 4.26 m/s | 7,954 kWh | 95 years |
| 50 m | 4.63 m/s | 10,132 kWh | 74 years |
Counties around Jefferson Davis Parish
4 of the 6 closest counties are windier at turbine height; the windiest, Calcasieu Parish, averages 5.34 m/s.
- Acadia Parish, LA: 4.4 m/s, 8,748 kWh, payback 86 years (24 mi)
- Allen Parish, LA: 3.83 m/s, 5,753 kWh, payback over 100 years (26 mi)
- Calcasieu Parish, LA: 5.34 m/s, 14,892 kWh, payback 51 years (32 mi)
- Cameron Parish, LA: 5.34 m/s, 14,892 kWh, payback 51 years (34 mi)
- Evangeline Parish, LA: 4.4 m/s, 8,748 kWh, payback 86 years (40 mi)
- Beauregard Parish, LA: 3.83 m/s, 5,753 kWh, payback over 100 years (41 mi)
Sun versus wind in Jefferson Davis Parish
Jefferson Davis Parish gets 4.62 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,349 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 575. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 2.3 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.