Wind Turbine Payback in Lincoln County, AR
Wind turbine payback in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County, AR averages 4.04 m/s (9 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 6,780 kWh a year, worth $932 at AR's 13.74¢/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 Lincoln County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Lincoln County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 8.4 m/s at the hub against 4.04 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,332 kWh a year here against the turbine's 678, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 74¢/kWh, 5.4 times what AR pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 8.4 m/s instead of 4.04. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of AR
Lincoln County is the 2,033rd windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in AR is Mississippi County at 5.35 m/s, payback 49 years.
Month by month in Lincoln County
March is the strongest month here, at 4.65 m/s and about 871 kWh. July is the weakest, 3.12 m/s and 253 kWh, so the best month makes 3.4 times the worst. November to March brings in 53% of the year's output in Lincoln County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.38 m/s | 734 kWh | $101 |
| February | 4.52 m/s | 723 kWh | $99 |
| March | 4.65 m/s | 871 kWh | $120 |
| April | 4.70 m/s | 869 kWh | $119 |
| May | 4.10 m/s | 600 kWh | $82 |
| June | 3.52 m/s | 364 kWh | $50 |
| July | 3.12 m/s | 253 kWh | $35 |
| August | 3.21 m/s | 279 kWh | $38 |
| September | 3.64 m/s | 404 kWh | $56 |
| October | 4.00 m/s | 560 kWh | $77 |
| November | 4.33 m/s | 686 kWh | $94 |
| December | 4.31 m/s | 697 kWh | $96 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Lincoln County averages 2.77 m/s; at 50 m it is 4.81 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.343, typical of rough, sheltered ground: trees or buildings slow the low wind a lot. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 4,380 to 11,276 kWh a year, 157% 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 | 3.51 m/s | 4,380 kWh | over 100 years |
| 30 m | 4.04 m/s | 6,764 kWh | over 100 years |
| 40 m | 4.46 m/s | 9,074 kWh | 80 years |
| 50 m | 4.81 m/s | 11,276 kWh | 65 years |
Counties around Lincoln County
3 of the 6 closest counties are windier at turbine height; the windiest, Arkansas County, averages 4.94 m/s.
- Jefferson County, AR: 4.65 m/s, 10,257 kWh, payback 71 years (25 mi)
- Drew County, AR: 3.54 m/s, 4,489 kWh, payback over 100 years (26 mi)
- Cleveland County, AR: 3.14 m/s, 3,034 kWh, payback over 100 years (26 mi)
- Desha County, AR: 4.82 m/s, 11,341 kWh, payback 64 years (30 mi)
- Arkansas County, AR: 4.94 m/s, 12,132 kWh, payback 60 years (31 mi)
- Bradley County, AR: 3.54 m/s, 4,489 kWh, payback over 100 years (42 mi)
Sun versus wind in Lincoln County
Lincoln County gets 4.56 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,332 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 678. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 2.0 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.