Kansas continues to be in the upper echelon of states generating electricity through wind power, but it took a few steps back last year as other states added projects faster, according to new statistics.

The American Wind Energy Association released its annual report recently, saying that in 2009 Kansas slipped from 11th to 14th in installed wind power capacity with 1,014 megawatts, or enough energy to power 350,000 average homes.

Wind farm developers in the state added 199 megawatts of capacity in 2009, but three other states — Indiana, North Dakota and Wyoming — built between 425 and 905 megawatts and leapfrogged Kansas on the list.

Texas remained the No. 1 wind state, adding almost 2,300 megawatts in 2009 for a total of 9,410 megawatts.

Missouri remains an also-ran in the industry with only 309 megawatts of wind capacity installed, but almost half of that came in 2009, and an additional 150 megawatts are under construction.

Kansas is considered one of the most desirable places for wind energy because of its vast stretches of windy and sparsely populated plains. The state has been hobbled in adding new capacity because it lacks sufficient transmission lines to move the power from the rural areas where it’s generated to more urban areas needing the energy most.

Late last year, Kansas City Power & Light Co. said it intended to add as much as 300 megawatts of wind-generated energy in the next two years, and Westar Energy Inc. plans to add 500 megawatts to a wind farm near Spearville, Kan.