The Bottom Line
The Wind Energy Payback Period Workbook found at www.nrel.gov/wind/docs/ is a spreadsheet tool
that can help you analyze the economics of a small-wind electric system and decide whether wind
energy will work for you. It asks you to provide information about how you are going to finance the
system, the characteristics of your location, and the properties of the system you are considering. It
then provides you with a payback estimate measured in years. If it takes too long to recoup your
investment— i.e., the number of years for payback exceeds the life of the system—wind energy may
not be desirable for you.