Wind Turbine Payback in White County, GA
Wind turbine payback in White 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 White County, GA averages 3.12 m/s (7 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 2,970 kWh a year, worth $460 at GA's 15.48¢/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 White County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in White County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 7.8 m/s at the hub against 3.12 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,314 kWh a year here against the turbine's 297, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 168¢/kWh, 10.9 times what GA pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 7.8 m/s instead of 3.12. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of GA
White County is the 2,974th windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in GA is Glynn County at 5.08 m/s, payback 49 years.
Month by month in White County
March is the strongest month here, at 3.64 m/s and about 418 kWh. August is the weakest, 2.39 m/s and 96 kWh, so the best month makes 4.4 times the worst. November to March brings in 57% of the year's output in White County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.58 m/s | 395 kWh | $61 |
| February | 3.63 m/s | 375 kWh | $58 |
| March | 3.64 m/s | 418 kWh | $65 |
| April | 3.56 m/s | 374 kWh | $58 |
| May | 3.04 m/s | 232 kWh | $36 |
| June | 2.61 m/s | 130 kWh | $20 |
| July | 2.43 m/s | 102 kWh | $16 |
| August | 2.39 m/s | 96 kWh | $15 |
| September | 2.81 m/s | 171 kWh | $26 |
| October | 3.15 m/s | 261 kWh | $40 |
| November | 3.32 m/s | 299 kWh | $46 |
| December | 3.38 m/s | 329 kWh | $51 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in White County averages 1.88 m/s; at 50 m it is 3.95 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.461, typical of rough, sheltered ground: trees or buildings slow the low wind a lot. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 1,541 to 6,329 kWh a year, 311% 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 | 2.59 m/s | 1,541 kWh | over 100 years |
| 30 m | 3.12 m/s | 2,974 kWh | over 100 years |
| 40 m | 3.56 m/s | 4,586 kWh | over 100 years |
| 50 m | 3.95 m/s | 6,329 kWh | over 100 years |
Counties around White County
None of the 6 closest counties is windier than White County.
- Habersham County, GA: 3.12 m/s, 2,970 kWh, payback over 100 years (12 mi)
- Lumpkin County, GA: 3.12 m/s, 2,970 kWh, payback over 100 years (15 mi)
- Towns County, GA: 3.11 m/s, 2,938 kWh, payback over 100 years (18 mi)
- Union County, GA: 3.11 m/s, 2,938 kWh, payback over 100 years (19 mi)
- Hall County, GA: 3.12 m/s, 2,970 kWh, payback over 100 years (23 mi)
- Banks County, GA: 3.12 m/s, 2,970 kWh, payback over 100 years (25 mi)
Sun versus wind in White County
White County gets 4.5 kWh of sunshine per square metre a day on average. One kW of solar panels here would make roughly 1,314 kWh a year; one kW of the turbine above makes 297. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 4.4 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.