Wind Turbine Payback in Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT
Wind turbine payback in Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region
No. The turbine wears out before it pays for itself.
At 30 m, the height a home turbine tower usually reaches, the wind in Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT averages 3.58 m/s (8 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 4,653 kWh a year, worth $1,278 at CT's 27.47¢/kWh. Against an installed cost of about $100,000, that is a payback of 78 years, and the turbine is built to last about 20.
What to do in Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 5.8 m/s at the hub against 3.58 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,165 kWh a year here against the turbine's 465, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 107¢/kWh, 3.9 times what CT pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 5.8 m/s instead of 3.58. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of CT
Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region is the 2,429th windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in CT is Greater Bridgeport Planning Region at 5.26 m/s, payback 25 years.
Month by month in Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region
March is the strongest month here, at 4.23 m/s and about 663 kWh. July is the weakest, 2.93 m/s and 203 kWh, so the best month makes 3.3 times the worst. November to March brings in 58% of the year's output in Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.09 m/s | 598 kWh | $164 |
| February | 4.27 m/s | 616 kWh | $169 |
| March | 4.23 m/s | 663 kWh | $182 |
| April | 3.88 m/s | 494 kWh | $136 |
| May | 3.32 m/s | 309 kWh | $85 |
| June | 3.02 m/s | 218 kWh | $60 |
| July | 2.93 m/s | 203 kWh | $56 |
| August | 2.94 m/s | 205 kWh | $56 |
| September | 3.13 m/s | 246 kWh | $68 |
| October | 3.58 m/s | 396 kWh | $109 |
| November | 3.74 m/s | 439 kWh | $121 |
| December | 3.90 m/s | 517 kWh | $142 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region averages 2.19 m/s; at 50 m it is 4.5 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.447, typical of rough, sheltered ground: trees or buildings slow the low wind a lot. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 2,565 to 9,339 kWh a year, 264% 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 | 2.99 m/s | 2,565 kWh | over 100 years |
| 30 m | 3.58 m/s | 4,658 kWh | 78 years |
| 40 m | 4.07 m/s | 6,949 kWh | 52 years |
| 50 m | 4.5 m/s | 9,339 kWh | 39 years |
Counties around Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region
3 of the 6 closest counties are windier at turbine height; the windiest, Kent County, averages 4.21 m/s.
- Providence County, RI: 3.58 m/s, 4,653 kWh, payback 74 years (20 mi)
- Kent County, RI: 4.21 m/s, 7,678 kWh, payback 45 years (23 mi)
- Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT: 4.21 m/s, 7,678 kWh, payback 47 years (26 mi)
- Capitol Planning Region, CT: 3.52 m/s, 4,408 kWh, payback 83 years (31 mi)
- Worcester County, MA: 3.56 m/s, 4,570 kWh, payback 73 years (32 mi)
- Washington County, RI: 4.21 m/s, 7,678 kWh, payback 45 years (36 mi)
Sun versus wind in Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region
Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region gets 3.99 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,165 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 465. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 2.5 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.