Wind Turbine Payback in McIntosh County, GA
Wind turbine payback in McIntosh 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 McIntosh County, GA averages 4.38 m/s (9.8 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 8,632 kWh a year, worth $1,336 at GA's 15.48¢/kWh. Against an installed cost of about $100,000, that is a payback of 75 years, and the turbine is built to last about 20.
What to do in McIntosh County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in McIntosh County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 7.8 m/s at the hub against 4.38 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,381 kWh a year here against the turbine's 863, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 58¢/kWh, 3.7 times what GA pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 7.8 m/s instead of 4.38. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of GA
McIntosh County is the 1,837th windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in GA is Glynn County at 5.08 m/s, payback 49 years.
Month by month in McIntosh County
March is the strongest month here, at 4.75 m/s and about 927 kWh. August is the weakest, 3.69 m/s and 436 kWh, so the best month makes 2.1 times the worst. November to March brings in 48% of the year's output in McIntosh County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.70 m/s | 898 kWh | $139 |
| February | 4.64 m/s | 781 kWh | $121 |
| March | 4.75 m/s | 927 kWh | $143 |
| April | 4.76 m/s | 902 kWh | $140 |
| May | 4.41 m/s | 749 kWh | $116 |
| June | 3.94 m/s | 515 kWh | $80 |
| July | 3.76 m/s | 460 kWh | $71 |
| August | 3.69 m/s | 436 kWh | $67 |
| September | 4.38 m/s | 708 kWh | $110 |
| October | 4.41 m/s | 749 kWh | $116 |
| November | 4.57 m/s | 805 kWh | $125 |
| December | 4.54 m/s | 813 kWh | $126 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in McIntosh County averages 3.48 m/s; at 50 m it is 4.87 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.209, typical of ordinary open country. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 6,685 to 11,668 kWh a year, 75% 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 | 4.02 m/s | 6,685 kWh | 97 years |
| 30 m | 4.38 m/s | 8,614 kWh | 75 years |
| 40 m | 4.65 m/s | 10,245 kWh | 63 years |
| 50 m | 4.87 m/s | 11,668 kWh | 55 years |
Counties around McIntosh County
1 of the 6 closest counties is windier at turbine height; the windiest, Glynn County, averages 5.08 m/s.
- Glynn County, GA: 5.08 m/s, 13,078 kWh, payback 49 years (20 mi)
- Liberty County, GA: 3.85 m/s, 5,847 kWh, payback over 100 years (23 mi)
- Long County, GA: 3.47 m/s, 4,211 kWh, payback over 100 years (28 mi)
- Wayne County, GA: 3.47 m/s, 4,211 kWh, payback over 100 years (32 mi)
- Bryan County, GA: 3.85 m/s, 5,847 kWh, payback over 100 years (37 mi)
- Chatham County, GA: 3.85 m/s, 5,847 kWh, payback over 100 years (38 mi)
Sun versus wind in McIntosh County
McIntosh County gets 4.73 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,381 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 863. 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.