Wind Turbine Payback in Washington County, PA
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, PA averages 3.45 m/s (7.7 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 4,133 kWh a year, worth $873 at PA's 21.13¢/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 Washington County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Washington County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 6.5 m/s at the hub against 3.45 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,098 kWh a year here against the turbine's 413, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 121¢/kWh, 5.7 times what PA pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 6.5 m/s instead of 3.45. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of PA
Washington County is the 2,569th windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in PA is Philadelphia County at 4.74 m/s, payback 44 years.
Month by month in Washington County
January is the strongest month here, at 4.20 m/s and about 648 kWh. August is the weakest, 2.59 m/s and 131 kWh, so the best month makes 4.9 times the worst. November to March brings in 61% of the year's output in Washington County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.20 m/s | 648 kWh | $137 |
| February | 4.28 m/s | 619 kWh | $131 |
| March | 4.03 m/s | 569 kWh | $120 |
| April | 3.92 m/s | 509 kWh | $108 |
| May | 3.22 m/s | 280 kWh | $59 |
| June | 2.90 m/s | 191 kWh | $40 |
| July | 2.67 m/s | 147 kWh | $31 |
| August | 2.59 m/s | 131 kWh | $28 |
| September | 2.85 m/s | 180 kWh | $38 |
| October | 3.33 m/s | 313 kWh | $66 |
| November | 3.60 m/s | 390 kWh | $82 |
| December | 3.87 m/s | 503 kWh | $106 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Washington County averages 2.12 m/s; at 50 m it is 4.33 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.444, typical of rough, sheltered ground: trees or buildings slow the low wind a lot. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 2,267 to 8,346 kWh a year, 268% 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 | 2.88 m/s | 2,267 kWh | over 100 years |
| 30 m | 3.45 m/s | 4,138 kWh | over 100 years |
| 40 m | 3.92 m/s | 6,190 kWh | 77 years |
| 50 m | 4.33 m/s | 8,346 kWh | 57 years |
Counties around Washington County
1 of the 6 closest counties is windier at turbine height; the windiest, Allegheny County, averages 3.49 m/s.
- Brooke County, WV: 3.44 m/s, 4,094 kWh, payback over 100 years (18 mi)
- Ohio County, WV: 3.36 m/s, 3,794 kWh, payback over 100 years (21 mi)
- Allegheny County, PA: 3.49 m/s, 4,289 kWh, payback over 100 years (23 mi)
- Greene County, PA: 3.45 m/s, 4,133 kWh, payback over 100 years (24 mi)
- Hancock County, WV: 3.44 m/s, 4,094 kWh, payback over 100 years (28 mi)
- Jefferson County, OH: 3.44 m/s, 4,094 kWh, payback over 100 years (30 mi)
Sun versus wind in Washington County
Washington County gets 3.76 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,098 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 413. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 2.7 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.