Wind Turbine Payback in Westmoreland County, VA
Wind turbine payback in Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland County, VA averages 3.63 m/s (8.1 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 4,862 kWh a year, worth $824 at VA's 16.95¢/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 Westmoreland County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in Westmoreland County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 7.3 m/s at the hub against 3.63 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,238 kWh a year here against the turbine's 486, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 103¢/kWh, 6.1 times what VA pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 7.3 m/s instead of 3.63. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of VA
Westmoreland County is the 2,354th windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in VA is Northampton County at 7.01 m/s, payback 22 years.
Month by month in Westmoreland County
March is the strongest month here, at 4.24 m/s and about 666 kWh. August is the weakest, 2.84 m/s and 183 kWh, so the best month makes 3.6 times the worst. November to March brings in 56% of the year's output in Westmoreland County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.13 m/s | 617 kWh | $105 |
| February | 4.25 m/s | 605 kWh | $103 |
| March | 4.24 m/s | 666 kWh | $113 |
| April | 4.12 m/s | 590 kWh | $100 |
| May | 3.48 m/s | 362 kWh | $61 |
| June | 3.15 m/s | 253 kWh | $43 |
| July | 2.87 m/s | 190 kWh | $32 |
| August | 2.84 m/s | 183 kWh | $31 |
| September | 3.25 m/s | 280 kWh | $47 |
| October | 3.62 m/s | 410 kWh | $69 |
| November | 3.83 m/s | 472 kWh | $80 |
| December | 3.86 m/s | 501 kWh | $85 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in Westmoreland County averages 2.39 m/s; at 50 m it is 4.41 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.381, typical of rough, sheltered ground: trees or buildings slow the low wind a lot. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 2,940 to 8,807 kWh a year, 200% 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 | 3.11 m/s | 2,940 kWh | over 100 years |
| 30 m | 3.63 m/s | 4,863 kWh | over 100 years |
| 40 m | 4.05 m/s | 6,834 kWh | 86 years |
| 50 m | 4.41 m/s | 8,807 kWh | 67 years |
Counties around Westmoreland County
4 of the 6 closest counties are windier at turbine height; the windiest, St. Mary's County, averages 5.43 m/s.
- Richmond County, VA: 3.63 m/s, 4,862 kWh, payback over 100 years (12 mi)
- Essex County, VA: 3.63 m/s, 4,862 kWh, payback over 100 years (14 mi)
- St. Mary's County, MD: 5.43 m/s, 15,534 kWh, payback 30 years (17 mi)
- King George County, VA: 4.04 m/s, 6,780 kWh, payback 87 years (23 mi)
- Charles County, MD: 4.04 m/s, 6,780 kWh, payback 69 years (28 mi)
- King and Queen County, VA: 3.77 m/s, 5,477 kWh, payback over 100 years (28 mi)
Sun versus wind in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County gets 4.24 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,238 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 486. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 2.5 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.