Wind Turbine Payback in Muhlenberg County, KY
Wind turbine payback in Muhlenberg 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 Muhlenberg County, KY averages 4.38 m/s (9.8 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 8,632 kWh a year, worth $1,226 at KY's 14.2¢/kWh. Against an installed cost of about $100,000, that is a payback of 82 years, and the turbine is built to last about 20.
What to do in Muhlenberg County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Muhlenberg County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 8.2 m/s at the hub against 4.38 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,223 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, 4.1 times what KY pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 8.2 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 KY
Muhlenberg 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 KY is Fulton County at 5.54 m/s, payback 43 years.
Month by month in Muhlenberg County
March is the strongest month here, at 5.21 m/s and about 1,189 kWh. July is the weakest, 3.21 m/s and 277 kWh, so the best month makes 4.3 times the worst. November to March brings in 57% of the year's output in Muhlenberg County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.10 m/s | 1,123 kWh | $159 |
| February | 5.16 m/s | 1,046 kWh | $149 |
| March | 5.21 m/s | 1,189 kWh | $169 |
| April | 5.21 m/s | 1,150 kWh | $163 |
| May | 4.27 m/s | 678 kWh | $96 |
| June | 3.60 m/s | 389 kWh | $55 |
| July | 3.21 m/s | 277 kWh | $39 |
| August | 3.22 m/s | 282 kWh | $40 |
| September | 3.68 m/s | 416 kWh | $59 |
| October | 4.33 m/s | 707 kWh | $100 |
| November | 4.72 m/s | 878 kWh | $125 |
| December | 4.86 m/s | 987 kWh | $140 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Muhlenberg County averages 3.11 m/s; at 50 m it is 5.13 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.311, typical of rough, sheltered ground: trees or buildings slow the low wind a lot. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 5,885 to 13,421 kWh a year, 128% 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 | 3.86 m/s | 5,885 kWh | over 100 years |
| 30 m | 4.38 m/s | 8,612 kWh | 82 years |
| 40 m | 4.79 m/s | 11,121 kWh | 63 years |
| 50 m | 5.13 m/s | 13,421 kWh | 53 years |
Counties around Muhlenberg County
2 of the 6 closest counties are windier at turbine height; the windiest, McLean County, averages 4.88 m/s.
- McLean County, KY: 4.88 m/s, 11,734 kWh, payback 60 years (23 mi)
- Hopkins County, KY: 4.88 m/s, 11,734 kWh, payback 60 years (23 mi)
- Ohio County, KY: 4.35 m/s, 8,460 kWh, payback 83 years (24 mi)
- Butler County, KY: 4.38 m/s, 8,632 kWh, payback 82 years (25 mi)
- Todd County, KY: 4.38 m/s, 8,632 kWh, payback 82 years (26 mi)
- Logan County, KY: 4.38 m/s, 8,632 kWh, payback 82 years (28 mi)
Sun versus wind in Muhlenberg County
Muhlenberg County gets 4.19 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,223 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 863. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 1.4 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.