how efficient are these? how long do they need to be in service until they pay for themselves.?
I've searched and can't seem to use the correct combination of words to get my answer.
Depends considerably on the location, models...etc.
Ontario, wind turbine average CF is 29%, summer CF is below 15%, which is our period of highest demand.
Then you have situations like this. These are 9 years old, and the $60 million dollar wind farm requires $10 million in repairs:
You can calculate the required kWh rate to cover the CAPEX if you are privy to the project cost. A lot of US projects are funded through REC's and other schemes that obscure the costs.
Let's take Ontario's most recent, and least expensive wind project that was completed in 2021, Nation Rise:
Cost: $233 million
Capacity: 100MW
So, $2.33 million/MW
Average output would be 29MW, so, over the course of a year, this facility would generate 254,040MWh.
If you wanted the facility to pay for itself in 10 years, assuming it doesn't decline in performance like many of them have, we'll take that number, multiply it by 10, and we get 2,540,400MWh. $233 million over 2,540,400MWh, it would require $91.72/MWh to pay off its CAPEX in 10 years. This doesn't include land taxes, maintenance...etc.
Now, in Ontario, the previous government subsidized the hell out of wind and solar, so the average rate paid to wind developers is $0.131/kWh. I'm not privity to the specifics on what Nation Rise is being paid, but I'd be surprised if it was less than $0.09/kWh.
Due to its production profile, producing grossly out of phase with demand, the average market rate in Ontario for when wind is most productive is ~$0.01/kWh. Paid market, none of these facilities would ever pay for themselves in the province, which means had they not been forced on ratepayers, we'd have far less than the 5GW we have installed, due to its impact on the market rate.
