Wind Turbine Payback in Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT
Wind turbine payback in Southeastern 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 Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT averages 4.21 m/s (9.4 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 7,678 kWh a year, worth $2,109 at CT's 27.47¢/kWh. Against an installed cost of about $100,000, that is a payback of 47 years, and the turbine is built to last about 20.
What to do in Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 5.8 m/s at the hub against 4.21 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,142 kWh a year here against the turbine's 768, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 65¢/kWh, 2.4 times what CT pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 5.8 m/s instead of 4.21. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of CT
Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region is the 1,944th 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 Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region
January is the strongest month here, at 5.00 m/s and about 1,066 kWh. July is the weakest, 3.34 m/s and 316 kWh, so the best month makes 3.4 times the worst. November to March brings in 60% of the year's output in Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.00 m/s | 1,066 kWh | $293 |
| February | 5.05 m/s | 989 kWh | $272 |
| March | 4.90 m/s | 1,009 kWh | $277 |
| April | 4.40 m/s | 718 kWh | $197 |
| May | 3.76 m/s | 461 kWh | $127 |
| June | 3.42 m/s | 332 kWh | $91 |
| July | 3.34 m/s | 316 kWh | $87 |
| August | 3.36 m/s | 321 kWh | $88 |
| September | 3.63 m/s | 401 kWh | $110 |
| October | 4.30 m/s | 693 kWh | $190 |
| November | 4.57 m/s | 800 kWh | $220 |
| December | 4.83 m/s | 971 kWh | $267 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region averages 2.89 m/s; at 50 m it is 5.02 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.343, typical of rough, sheltered ground: trees or buildings slow the low wind a lot. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 5,017 to 12,670 kWh a year, 153% 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 | 3.67 m/s | 5,017 kWh | 73 years |
| 30 m | 4.21 m/s | 7,695 kWh | 47 years |
| 40 m | 4.65 m/s | 10,258 kWh | 36 years |
| 50 m | 5.02 m/s | 12,670 kWh | 29 years |
Counties around Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region
None of the 6 closest counties is windier than Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region.
- Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT: 3.85 m/s, 5,847 kWh, payback 62 years (21 mi)
- Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT: 3.58 m/s, 4,653 kWh, payback 78 years (26 mi)
- Washington County, RI: 4.21 m/s, 7,678 kWh, payback 45 years (26 mi)
- Kent County, RI: 4.21 m/s, 7,678 kWh, payback 45 years (30 mi)
- Capitol Planning Region, CT: 3.52 m/s, 4,408 kWh, payback 83 years (34 mi)
- Providence County, RI: 3.58 m/s, 4,653 kWh, payback 74 years (38 mi)
Sun versus wind in Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region
Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region gets 3.91 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,142 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 768. 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.