The Cost of a Wind Turbine in South Africa

Wind turbines is a device that converts the kinetic energy in the wind into mechanical power. This mechanical power can be used for specific tasks (such as grinding grain or pumping water), or can be converted into electricity by a generator.

How much does it cost to install a wind turbine in South Africa?

Generally, in South Africa, a turbine is reported to cost around 2 to 4 million dollars for the average power consumption of 2-3 megawatts.

How much does a small wind turbine cost in South Africa?

Basically, Small wind turbines used in residential applications typically range in size from 400 watts to around 20 kilowatts. The average price for a 3.5 kilowatt wind turbine in South Africa is R150,000.00 excl VAT.

How much does it cost to build a wind farm in South Africa?

In South Africa, installing a wind turbine, which can generate up to 2 megawatts of electricity (MWE) when blowing, costs approximately $3.5 million. To generate 1000 megawatt hours of power, a hundred of these turbines would require a total investment of over $1 billion.

How long does it take for a wind turbine to pay itself off?

Generally, based on research, it could take around 15 to 20 years for a wind turbine to pay for itself. But this time can increase or decrease based on your power requirements, local wind speed, government incentives, etc. There are instances when people could get back their investment much sooner, and then there are others who were not so lucky.

What is the lifespan of a wind turbine?

Considering a modern wind turbine with good quality, it could generally last for 20 years, although this can be extended to 25 years or longer depending on environmental factors and the correct maintenance procedures being followed. However, the maintenance costs will increase as the structure ages

What are 3 disadvantages of wind energy?

The following are major disadvantages of wind energy:

• Unpredictability,
• It is a threat to wildlife,
• It creates low-level noise, they aren’t aesthetically pleasing,
• There are limited locations suitable for wind turbines.