Wind Turbine Payback in Marion County, FL
Wind turbine payback in Marion 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 Marion County, FL averages 4.42 m/s (9.9 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 8,865 kWh a year, worth $1,358 at FL's 15.32¢/kWh. Against an installed cost of about $100,000, that is a payback of 74 years, and the turbine is built to last about 20.
What to do in Marion County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Marion County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 7.8 m/s at the hub against 4.42 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,419 kWh a year here against the turbine's 887, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 56¢/kWh, 3.7 times what FL pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 7.8 m/s instead of 4.42. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of FL
Marion County is the 1,799th windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in FL is Brevard County at 5.62 m/s, payback 39 years.
Month by month in Marion County
March is the strongest month here, at 5.01 m/s and about 1,073 kWh. July is the weakest, 3.31 m/s and 306 kWh, so the best month makes 3.5 times the worst. November to March brings in 54% of the year's output in Marion County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.00 m/s | 1,063 kWh | $163 |
| February | 4.87 m/s | 898 kWh | $138 |
| March | 5.01 m/s | 1,073 kWh | $164 |
| April | 4.82 m/s | 933 kWh | $143 |
| May | 4.37 m/s | 727 kWh | $111 |
| June | 3.68 m/s | 416 kWh | $64 |
| July | 3.31 m/s | 306 kWh | $47 |
| August | 3.48 m/s | 362 kWh | $55 |
| September | 4.17 m/s | 615 kWh | $94 |
| October | 4.62 m/s | 856 kWh | $131 |
| November | 4.86 m/s | 952 kWh | $146 |
| December | 4.87 m/s | 989 kWh | $152 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Marion County averages 3.32 m/s; at 50 m it is 5.05 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.261, typical of ordinary open country. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 6,457 to 12,873 kWh a year, 99% 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 | 3.98 m/s | 6,457 kWh | over 100 years |
| 30 m | 4.42 m/s | 8,863 kWh | 74 years |
| 40 m | 4.76 m/s | 10,981 kWh | 59 years |
| 50 m | 5.05 m/s | 12,873 kWh | 51 years |
Counties around Marion County
1 of the 6 closest counties is windier at turbine height; the windiest, Sumter County, averages 4.54 m/s.
- Putnam County, FL: 3.78 m/s, 5,523 kWh, payback over 100 years (33 mi)
- Sumter County, FL: 4.54 m/s, 9,580 kWh, payback 68 years (34 mi)
- Lake County, FL: 4.42 m/s, 8,865 kWh, payback 74 years (36 mi)
- Alachua County, FL: 3.59 m/s, 4,694 kWh, payback over 100 years (38 mi)
- Citrus County, FL: 4.21 m/s, 7,678 kWh, payback 85 years (41 mi)
- Levy County, FL: 4.05 m/s, 6,831 kWh, payback 96 years (48 mi)
Sun versus wind in Marion County
Marion County gets 4.86 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,419 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 887. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 1.6 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.