Wind farm near Beaumont, Kan. (Flickr Photo via brentdanley)
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A new government report indicates that Kansas is among the largest and fastest growing wind energy markets in the country. The Energy Department reported Tuesday that Kansas ranks third among all U.S. states in the percentage of in-state electricity generation from wind power. The state installed 1,441 megawatts of new wind power capacity in 2012, bringing its total capacity to 2,713 megawatts. The department says in a news release that Kansas now has enough capacity to generate more than 20 percent of its electricity from wind energy. The agency's annual Wind Technologies Market Report says that in 2012, wind energy became the top source of new U.S. electricity generation for the first time.