Topeka ? Kansas has tripled its wind generating capacity in the last 15 months, and wind power supporters are hoping that is just the beginning.

Flat Ridge Wind Farm in Nashville, about 60 miles southwest of Wichita, began operations recently and will generate about 100 megawatts of power a year. And the Central Plains Wind Farm in Marienthal, just east of Leoti, is partially online. It will produce 99 megawatts when fully operational.

The two new wind farms make Kansas one of the few states in the country that can now generate more than 1,000 megawatts of wind power a year.

Government and industry officials say Kansas is making strides in taking advantage of its windy conditions, but there is still a long way to go to make wind energy profitable in the state.