Wind power has overcome hydroelectricity as the top renewable source of electricity generation in America, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said this week.
The big picture: Wind and solar's capacity to fuel America is growing as the renewable power sources become increasingly cost-competitive.
- Solar power systems are growing and become more efficient in commercial and industrial spaces, the Energy Department found last November.
- Most hydroelectric capacity in the U.S. has been operating for decades, whereas 77% of wind capacity was installed just in the last decade, per EIA.
Details: Steady increases in wind generation over the past decade are partially due to the decades-old wind production tax credit being extended, the EIA says.
Go deeper: Wind power is winning in the U.S. despite Trump's critiques