how much does a 1.5 megawatts wind turbine cost?

Question

I am doign a school project and can't find the answer anywhere

Answer 1

Great question, it seems like it would be easy to answer, but as I researched more, it got more and more complicated. Most companies and websites like to tell you the cost per kWh, of the electricity it generates. Fewer sites even give you a clue on how much the actual 1.5 MW turbines cost.

The only paper I could find that gave a definitive answer for an installed turbine was "The Economic Benefits of Developing a Windfarm in Vermont" they list the cost per 1.5 MW turbine including roadways and power lines in the windfarm as $2.25 million.

Lamar wind energy lists the price of each GE 1.5 MW turbine as $1.3 million each, but this cost does not include cost of the turbine or power line construction, land fees, or site preparation.

good luck with your project, hope this helps.

Answer 2

Try calling a company that sells them. They can probably help you. In addition they can probably tell you what such a thing costs INSTALLED which is likely far more important for your project than just the cost of the wind turbine itself. They may also be able to tell you maintenance cost and useful lifetime and the amount of energy it will produce in a year given various mean wind speeds.

I did a similar project in college about 20 years ago.

Good luck.

Answer 3

If you have to ask, you can't afford it. My guess would be about 10 cents per watt, installed. That's a powerful and big wind turbine. You need that much power for a school project? You can make a cheap demonstration unit by getting a surplus propeller, gear box and a used auto alternator. You can use 2x4s to make the tower. Oh, you'll also need batteries and an inverter to run household appliances.

lightpulse

Answer 4

contact GE 1-866-770-5248 or 678-844-1600

Answer 5

that's a lot of power, and a hard question due to many, many variables - but, for a 'ballpark' in today's world: $2,000,000.