Wind Turbine Payback in Washington County, KS
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, KS averages 6.36 m/s (14.2 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 22,373 kWh a year, worth $3,414 at KS's 15.26¢/kWh. Against an installed cost of about $100,000, that is a payback of 29 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, 7.8 m/s at the hub against 6.36 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,305 kWh a year here against the turbine's 2,237, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 22¢/kWh, 1.5 times what KS pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 7.8 m/s instead of 6.36. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of KS
Washington County is the 393rd windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in KS is Edwards County at 6.68 m/s, payback 27 years.
Month by month in Washington County
April is the strongest month here, at 7.25 m/s and about 2,371 kWh. August is the weakest, 5.23 m/s and 1,198 kWh, so the best month makes 2.0 times the worst. November to March brings in 44% of the year's output in Washington County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.47 m/s | 1,969 kWh | $300 |
| February | 6.49 m/s | 1,788 kWh | $273 |
| March | 6.92 m/s | 2,251 kWh | $344 |
| April | 7.25 m/s | 2,371 kWh | $362 |
| May | 6.52 m/s | 2,002 kWh | $306 |
| June | 6.23 m/s | 1,759 kWh | $268 |
| July | 5.35 m/s | 1,273 kWh | $194 |
| August | 5.23 m/s | 1,198 kWh | $183 |
| September | 6.24 m/s | 1,764 kWh | $269 |
| October | 6.64 m/s | 2,075 kWh | $317 |
| November | 6.73 m/s | 2,061 kWh | $315 |
| December | 6.35 m/s | 1,896 kWh | $289 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Washington County averages 4.98 m/s; at 50 m it is 7.13 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.223, typical of ordinary open country. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 18,317 to 27,967 kWh a year, 53% 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 | 5.81 m/s | 18,317 kWh | 36 years |
| 30 m | 6.36 m/s | 22,390 kWh | 29 years |
| 40 m | 6.78 m/s | 25,485 kWh | 26 years |
| 50 m | 7.13 m/s | 27,967 kWh | 23 years |
Counties around Washington County
2 of the 6 closest counties are windier at turbine height; the windiest, Republic County, averages 6.38 m/s.
- Jefferson County, NE: 6.36 m/s, 22,373 kWh, payback 35 years (28 mi)
- Republic County, KS: 6.38 m/s, 22,521 kWh, payback 29 years (30 mi)
- Clay County, KS: 6.29 m/s, 21,855 kWh, payback 30 years (30 mi)
- Marshall County, KS: 6.34 m/s, 22,225 kWh, payback 30 years (31 mi)
- Cloud County, KS: 6.29 m/s, 21,855 kWh, payback 30 years (35 mi)
- Thayer County, NE: 6.38 m/s, 22,521 kWh, payback 34 years (38 mi)
Sun versus wind in Washington County
Washington 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 2,237. This is one of the rare places where a kilowatt of turbine out-produces a kilowatt of panels, by 1.7 times. 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.