Wind Turbine Payback in Washington County, IN
Wind turbine payback in Washington 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 Washington County, IN averages 4.21 m/s (9.4 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 7,678 kWh a year, worth $1,308 at IN's 17.04¢/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 Washington County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Washington County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 7.3 m/s at the hub against 4.21 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,186 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, 3.8 times what IN pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 7.3 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 IN
Washington County is the 1,944th windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in IN is Lake County at 6.17 m/s, payback 28 years.
Month by month in Washington County
March is the strongest month here, at 4.93 m/s and about 1,028 kWh. July is the weakest, 3.13 m/s and 255 kWh, so the best month makes 4.0 times the worst. November to March brings in 57% of the year's output in Washington County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.93 m/s | 1,023 kWh | $174 |
| February | 4.93 m/s | 928 kWh | $158 |
| March | 4.93 m/s | 1,028 kWh | $175 |
| April | 4.94 m/s | 999 kWh | $170 |
| May | 4.07 m/s | 591 kWh | $101 |
| June | 3.53 m/s | 364 kWh | $62 |
| July | 3.13 m/s | 255 kWh | $43 |
| August | 3.15 m/s | 262 kWh | $45 |
| September | 3.55 m/s | 373 kWh | $64 |
| October | 4.20 m/s | 648 kWh | $110 |
| November | 4.53 m/s | 782 kWh | $133 |
| December | 4.63 m/s | 861 kWh | $147 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Washington County averages 2.92 m/s; at 50 m it is 4.99 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.333, typical of rough, sheltered ground: trees or buildings slow the low wind a lot. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 5,067 to 12,467 kWh a year, 146% 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 | 3.68 m/s | 5,067 kWh | over 100 years |
| 30 m | 4.21 m/s | 7,675 kWh | 77 years |
| 40 m | 4.63 m/s | 10,149 kWh | 58 years |
| 50 m | 4.99 m/s | 12,467 kWh | 47 years |
Counties around Washington County
5 of the 6 closest counties are windier at turbine height; the windiest, Scott County, averages 4.61 m/s.
- Scott County, IN: 4.61 m/s, 10,008 kWh, payback 59 years (20 mi)
- Orange County, IN: 4.21 m/s, 7,678 kWh, payback 76 years (21 mi)
- Jackson County, IN: 4.32 m/s, 8,289 kWh, payback 71 years (22 mi)
- Floyd County, IN: 4.61 m/s, 10,008 kWh, payback 59 years (22 mi)
- Clark County, IN: 4.61 m/s, 10,008 kWh, payback 59 years (23 mi)
- Lawrence County, IN: 4.32 m/s, 8,289 kWh, payback 71 years (26 mi)
Sun versus wind in Washington County
Washington County gets 4.06 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,186 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.