Wind Turbine Payback in York County, ME
Wind turbine payback in York 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 York County, ME averages 3.93 m/s (8.8 mph). A 10 kW turbine there would make about 6,231 kWh a year, worth $1,884 at ME's 30.23¢/kWh. Against an installed cost of about $100,000, that is a payback of 53 years, and the turbine is built to last about 20.
What to do in York County
A home turbine is not worth buying for savings in York County unless your spot is far windier than the county average, 5.6 m/s at the hub against 3.93 m/s here. Per kW, solar panels would make about 1,098 kWh a year here against the turbine's 623, so get a solar quote first.
What would have to change
- Power would have to cost 80¢/kWh, 2.7 times what ME pays now.
- Or the average wind at the hub would have to be 5.6 m/s instead of 3.93. A taller tower or an exposed ridge can add some of that; a rooftop never will.
Against the rest of ME
York County is the 2,112th windiest of 3,144 US counties at turbine height; the national middle is 4.79 m/s. The windiest in ME is Knox County at 6.26 m/s, payback 15 years.
Month by month in York County
March is the strongest month here, at 4.75 m/s and about 925 kWh. July is the weakest, 3.02 m/s and 227 kWh, so the best month makes 4.1 times the worst. November to March brings in 61% of the year's output in York County.
| Month | Wind at 30 m | Output | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.70 m/s | 898 kWh | $271 |
| February | 4.89 m/s | 903 kWh | $273 |
| March | 4.75 m/s | 925 kWh | $280 |
| April | 4.22 m/s | 635 kWh | $192 |
| May | 3.54 m/s | 380 kWh | $115 |
| June | 3.18 m/s | 261 kWh | $79 |
| July | 3.02 m/s | 227 kWh | $69 |
| August | 3.09 m/s | 244 kWh | $74 |
| September | 3.36 m/s | 312 kWh | $94 |
| October | 3.94 m/s | 534 kWh | $161 |
| November | 4.14 m/s | 602 kWh | $182 |
| December | 4.42 m/s | 754 kWh | $228 |
What a taller tower would buy
Measured at 10 m the wind in York County averages 2.72 m/s; at 50 m it is 4.67 m/s. That gives a shear exponent of 0.336, typical of rough, sheltered ground: trees or buildings slow the low wind a lot. Going from 20 m to 50 m takes output from 4,066 to 10,382 kWh a year, 155% 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 | 3.43 m/s | 4,066 kWh | 81 years |
| 30 m | 3.93 m/s | 6,248 kWh | 53 years |
| 40 m | 4.33 m/s | 8,361 kWh | 40 years |
| 50 m | 4.67 m/s | 10,382 kWh | 32 years |
Counties around York County
None of the 6 closest counties is windier than York County.
- Strafford County, NH: 3.58 m/s, 4,653 kWh, payback 80 years (21 mi)
- Cumberland County, ME: 3.5 m/s, 4,329 kWh, payback 76 years (31 mi)
- Rockingham County, NH: 3.58 m/s, 4,653 kWh, payback 80 years (37 mi)
- Belknap County, NH: 3.58 m/s, 4,653 kWh, payback 80 years (38 mi)
- Carroll County, NH: 3.51 m/s, 4,368 kWh, payback 85 years (41 mi)
- Merrimack County, NH: 3.58 m/s, 4,653 kWh, payback 80 years (52 mi)
Sun versus wind in York County
York 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 623. Kilowatt for kilowatt, panels make 1.8 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.