In 2019, wind power surpassed hydropower for the first time to become the largest source of clean electricity in the United States

According to data released by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) on the 26th, annual wind power generation surpassed hydropower for the first time in 2019, becoming the country's largest production of renewable energy
.

EIA data shows that last year, utility-scale facilities generated 300.
071 TWh of wind power, compared to 273.
707 TWh generated by conventional hydroelectric facilities (Figure 1).

Solar production ranks third in the list of renewable energy sources, with utility-scale PV systems accounting for 69.
017 TWh, and when small-scale and solar thermal installations are included, the total solar power generation will increase to 107.
275 TWh
.

The United States also exceeded the 100 GW threshold for wind power capacity in 2019
.
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) reported that the country's wind power portfolio increased by 9,143 MW in 2019, bringing the total installed capacity to 105,583 MW by the end of the year
.
Of these, the fourth quarter showed particularly strong growth, as developers installed 35 new wind energy projects in 16 states, totaling 5,476 MW
.

AWEA CEO Tom Kiernan said in a press release: "The demand and growth
for wind energy in the United States cannot be underestimated.
Today, nearly 60,000 wind turbines in operation in 41 states power more than 32 million U.
S.
homes
.
Demand for wind energy is greater than ever, with businesses and utilities signing a record number of contracts
.
”

Although hydropower generation has remained stable over the years, annual hydropower generation has fluctuated
between 250 TWh and 320 TWh over the past decade.
Changes in annual precipitation and runoff are the main factors
affecting hydropower production.
Of course, weather patterns also affect wind energy, but capacity growth has been the main driver of annual changes in wind power
.