Wind Turbine Payback in Lincoln County, TN
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, TN averages 3.99 m/s (8.9 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 6,527 kWh a year, worth $901 at TN's 13.8¢/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 3.99 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,261 kWh a year here against the turbine's 653, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 77¢/kWh, 5.6 times what TN pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 8.4 m/s instead of 3.99. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of TN
Lincoln County is the 2,064th windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in TN is Lake County at 5.54 m/s, payback 44 years.
Month by month in Lincoln County
March is the strongest month here, at 4.76 m/s and about 930 kWh. July is the weakest, 2.88 m/s and 191 kWh, so the best month makes 4.9 times the worst. November to March brings in 58% of the year's output in Lincoln County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.62 m/s | 854 kWh | $118 |
| February | 4.79 m/s | 853 kWh | $118 |
| March | 4.76 m/s | 930 kWh | $128 |
| April | 4.69 m/s | 865 kWh | $119 |
| May | 3.86 m/s | 499 kWh | $69 |
| June | 3.22 m/s | 270 kWh | $37 |
| July | 2.88 m/s | 191 kWh | $26 |
| August | 2.97 m/s | 214 kWh | $30 |
| September | 3.46 m/s | 343 kWh | $47 |
| October | 3.93 m/s | 530 kWh | $73 |
| November | 4.30 m/s | 674 kWh | $93 |
| December | 4.43 m/s | 758 kWh | $105 |
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 4.73 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.332, typical of rough, sheltered ground: trees or buildings slow the low wind a lot. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 4,286 to 10,762 kWh a year, 151% 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 | 3.49 m/s | 4,286 kWh | over 100 years |
| 30 m | 3.99 m/s | 6,538 kWh | over 100 years |
| 40 m | 4.39 m/s | 8,703 kWh | 83 years |
| 50 m | 4.73 m/s | 10,762 kWh | 67 years |
Counties around Lincoln County
3 of the 6 closest counties are windier at turbine height; the windiest, Moore County, averages 4.2 m/s.
- Moore County, TN: 4.2 m/s, 7,623 kWh, payback 95 years (17 mi)
- Marshall County, TN: 4.18 m/s, 7,515 kWh, payback 96 years (25 mi)
- Giles County, TN: 3.99 m/s, 6,527 kWh, payback over 100 years (25 mi)
- Madison County, AL: 3.8 m/s, 5,614 kWh, payback over 100 years (26 mi)
- Bedford County, TN: 4.2 m/s, 7,623 kWh, payback 95 years (27 mi)
- Franklin County, TN: 3.8 m/s, 5,614 kWh, payback over 100 years (28 mi)
Sun versus wind in Lincoln County
Lincoln County gets 4.32 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,261 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 653. 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.