Wind Turbine Payback in Storey County, NV
Wind turbine payback in Storey 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 Storey County, NV averages 3.6 m/s (8.1 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 4,736 kWh a year, worth $633 at NV's 13.36¢/kWh. Against an installed cost of about $100,000, that is a payback of over 100 years, and the turbine is built to last about 20.
What to do in Storey County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Storey County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 8.6 m/s at the hub against 3.6 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,527 kWh a year here against the turbine's 474, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 106¢/kWh, 7.9 times what NV pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 8.6 m/s instead of 3.6. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of NV
Storey County is the 2,402nd windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in NV is Nye County at 4.71 m/s, payback 70 years.
Month by month in Storey County
April is the strongest month here, at 4.36 m/s and about 699 kWh. January is the weakest, 3.06 m/s and 237 kWh, so the best month makes 2.9 times the worst. November to March brings in 37% of the year's output in Storey County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.06 m/s | 237 kWh | $32 |
| February | 3.66 m/s | 383 kWh | $51 |
| March | 4.12 m/s | 612 kWh | $82 |
| April | 4.36 m/s | 699 kWh | $93 |
| May | 4.06 m/s | 584 kWh | $78 |
| June | 3.97 m/s | 528 kWh | $71 |
| July | 3.47 m/s | 358 kWh | $48 |
| August | 3.32 m/s | 309 kWh | $41 |
| September | 3.35 m/s | 310 kWh | $41 |
| October | 3.23 m/s | 284 kWh | $38 |
| November | 3.26 m/s | 283 kWh | $38 |
| December | 3.37 m/s | 326 kWh | $44 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Storey County averages 2.91 m/s; at 50 m it is 3.97 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.193, typical of ordinary open country. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 3,672 to 6,428 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 | 3.33 m/s | 3,672 kWh | over 100 years |
| 30 m | 3.6 m/s | 4,725 kWh | over 100 years |
| 40 m | 3.8 m/s | 5,627 kWh | over 100 years |
| 50 m | 3.97 m/s | 6,428 kWh | over 100 years |
Counties around Storey County
1 of the 6 closest counties is windier at turbine height; the windiest, Carson City, averages 3.75 m/s.
- Carson City, NV: 3.75 m/s, 5,387 kWh, payback over 100 years (23 mi)
- Lyon County, NV: 3.6 m/s, 4,736 kWh, payback over 100 years (34 mi)
- Douglas County, NV: 3.6 m/s, 4,736 kWh, payback over 100 years (37 mi)
- Sierra County, CA: 3.32 m/s, 3,648 kWh, payback 84 years (54 mi)
- Alpine County, CA: 3.53 m/s, 4,449 kWh, payback 69 years (58 mi)
- Nevada County, CA: 3.32 m/s, 3,648 kWh, payback 84 years (67 mi)
Sun versus wind in Storey County
Storey County gets 5.23 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,527 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 474. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 3.2 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.