Wind Turbine Payback in Rowan County, NC
Wind turbine payback in Rowan 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 Rowan County, NC averages 4.41 m/s (9.9 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 8,807 kWh a year, worth $1,316 at NC's 14.94¢/kWh. Against an installed cost of about $100,000, that is a payback of 76 years, and the turbine is built to last about 20.
What to do in Rowan County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Rowan County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 7.9 m/s at the hub against 4.41 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,305 kWh a year here against the turbine's 881, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 57¢/kWh, 3.8 times what NC pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 7.9 m/s instead of 4.41. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of NC
Rowan County is the 1,810th windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in NC is Dare County at 6.91 m/s, payback 25 years.
Month by month in Rowan County
March is the strongest month here, at 5.22 m/s and about 1,196 kWh. August is the weakest, 3.23 m/s and 282 kWh, so the best month makes 4.2 times the worst. November to March brings in 54% of the year's output in Rowan County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.96 m/s | 1,040 kWh | $155 |
| February | 5.17 m/s | 1,052 kWh | $157 |
| March | 5.22 m/s | 1,196 kWh | $179 |
| April | 5.28 m/s | 1,187 kWh | $177 |
| May | 4.41 m/s | 749 kWh | $112 |
| June | 3.72 m/s | 431 kWh | $64 |
| July | 3.39 m/s | 332 kWh | $50 |
| August | 3.23 m/s | 282 kWh | $42 |
| September | 3.95 m/s | 521 kWh | $78 |
| October | 4.36 m/s | 723 kWh | $108 |
| November | 4.60 m/s | 818 kWh | $122 |
| December | 4.66 m/s | 878 kWh | $131 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Rowan County averages 3.23 m/s; at 50 m it is 5.1 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.284, typical of ordinary open country. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 6,238 to 13,215 kWh a year, 112% 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 | 3.93 m/s | 6,238 kWh | over 100 years |
| 30 m | 4.41 m/s | 8,814 kWh | 76 years |
| 40 m | 4.79 m/s | 11,126 kWh | 60 years |
| 50 m | 5.1 m/s | 13,215 kWh | 51 years |
Counties around Rowan County
1 of the 6 closest counties is windier at turbine height; the windiest, Davidson County, averages 4.47 m/s.
- Cabarrus County, NC: 4.41 m/s, 8,807 kWh, payback 76 years (18 mi)
- Davie County, NC: 4.41 m/s, 8,807 kWh, payback 76 years (20 mi)
- Davidson County, NC: 4.47 m/s, 9,160 kWh, payback 73 years (21 mi)
- Iredell County, NC: 4.41 m/s, 8,807 kWh, payback 76 years (23 mi)
- Stanly County, NC: 3.74 m/s, 5,342 kWh, payback over 100 years (27 mi)
- Mecklenburg County, NC: 3.43 m/s, 4,056 kWh, payback over 100 years (32 mi)
Sun versus wind in Rowan County
Rowan County gets 4.47 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,305 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 881. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 1.5 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.