South Dakota's winds are notorious for making otherwise pleasant days quite unbearable at times.

But there is an upside to that near constant prairie breeze blowing through the Mount Rushmore State.

According to a new Wind Technology Report report from United States Department of Energy, South Dakota is one of just four states to generate more than 30 percent of its electricity from wind power.

South Dakota joins Iowa, Oklahoma, and Kansas as the only states that saw wind contribute to 30 to 37 percent of a state's entire electricity generation - far exceeding the national average of just 6.3 percent.

According to the American Wind Energy Association, South Dakota currently has 583 operational turbines (19th most in the nation) with a total capacity of 977 megawatts of wind generation capacity. That's enough to generate power to 293,100 homes.

Texas leads the national with 12,750 turbines, but those only generate 14.8 percent of the Lone Star State's electricity.


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