Wind Turbine Payback in La Plata County, CO
Wind turbine payback in La Plata 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 La Plata County, CO averages 4.22 m/s (9.4 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 7,732 kWh a year, worth $1,299 at CO's 16.8¢/kWh. Against an installed cost of about $100,000, that is a payback of 77 years, and the turbine is built to last about 20.
What to do in La Plata County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in La Plata County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 7.4 m/s at the hub against 4.22 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,472 kWh a year here against the turbine's 773, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 65¢/kWh, 3.8 times what CO pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 7.4 m/s instead of 4.22. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of CO
La Plata County is the 1,935th windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in CO is Baca County at 6.65 m/s, payback 24 years.
Month by month in La Plata County
April is the strongest month here, at 5.07 m/s and about 1,069 kWh. August is the weakest, 3.26 m/s and 292 kWh, so the best month makes 3.7 times the worst. November to March brings in 47% of the year's output in La Plata County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.44 m/s | 761 kWh | $128 |
| February | 4.60 m/s | 762 kWh | $128 |
| March | 4.67 m/s | 881 kWh | $148 |
| April | 5.07 m/s | 1,069 kWh | $180 |
| May | 4.46 m/s | 775 kWh | $130 |
| June | 4.21 m/s | 629 kWh | $106 |
| July | 3.30 m/s | 303 kWh | $51 |
| August | 3.26 m/s | 292 kWh | $49 |
| September | 3.84 m/s | 477 kWh | $80 |
| October | 4.31 m/s | 700 kWh | $118 |
| November | 4.24 m/s | 645 kWh | $108 |
| December | 4.20 m/s | 646 kWh | $109 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in La Plata County averages 3.29 m/s; at 50 m it is 4.73 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.226, typical of ordinary open country. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 5,825 to 10,762 kWh a year, 85% 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 | 3.85 m/s | 5,825 kWh | over 100 years |
| 30 m | 4.21 m/s | 7,701 kWh | 77 years |
| 40 m | 4.5 m/s | 9,323 kWh | 64 years |
| 50 m | 4.73 m/s | 10,762 kWh | 55 years |
Counties around La Plata County
2 of the 6 closest counties are windier at turbine height; the windiest, Montezuma County, averages 4.23 m/s.
- San Juan County, CO: 3.36 m/s, 3,794 kWh, payback over 100 years (35 mi)
- Montezuma County, CO: 4.23 m/s, 7,787 kWh, payback 76 years (42 mi)
- Archuleta County, CO: 3.87 m/s, 5,942 kWh, payback over 100 years (44 mi)
- Hinsdale County, CO: 3.36 m/s, 3,794 kWh, payback over 100 years (44 mi)
- Dolores County, CO: 4.23 m/s, 7,787 kWh, payback 76 years (48 mi)
- Mineral County, CO: 4.07 m/s, 6,934 kWh, payback 86 years (49 mi)
Sun versus wind in La Plata County
La Plata County gets 5.04 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,472 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 773. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 1.9 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.