A new report says Kansas is one of five states that were more than 20 percent wind-powered in 2016.
The American Wind Energy Association, which advocates for the wind energy industry, says close to 30 percent of Kansas’ electricity was powered by wind energy last year, ranking it second in the country. According to the data from the federal Energy Information Administration, that’s up from 24 percent the year before.
Kansas adopted the Renewable Energy Standards Act in 2009, which required the state’s utility companies to generate or purchase 20 percent of their energy from renewable sources – like wind and solar – by 2020. The standard was converted to a voluntary goal in 2015.
Iowa was the top wind energy generator, with nearly 37 percent of its electricity supplied by wind. North Dakota, South Dakota and Oklahoma also topped the list.
Nationwide, wind supplied 5.5 percent of electricity in 2016 – up from 4.7 percent a year before.
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