Governors' Wind Energy Coalition

Kansas is among the largest and fastest growing wind energy markets in the country, the Energy Department reported this week.

The agency’s annual Wind Technologies Market Report said Kansas ranked third among all U.S. states in the percentage of in-state electricity generation from wind power, with enough capacity to generate more than 20 percent of its electricity from wind energy.

It also said that in 2012 wind energy became the top source of new U.S. electricity generation for the first time.

The findings echo those of a report in April from the American Wind Energy Association. Both noted that Kansas installed 1,441 megawatts of new wind power capacity in 2012. That brought its total wind power capacity to 2,713 megawatts, enough to power more than 800,000 homes. It also bumped the state from 14th to ninth place in total wind generating capacity.