For decades, hydropower has been the chief source of clean and renewable energy in the United States, but new federal statistics show that it’s about to be eclipsed by other renewable sources.

A report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that April 2014 was the eighth straight month in which “non-hydropower” surpassed hydropower. Solar, wind and other alternatives were responsible for 7.4 percent of total electricity generation, just above hydropower’s 7 percent.

Just 10 years ago, hydropower produced three times more energy than other renewables, according to the report by the EIA, an arm of the U.S. Department of Energy. And by 2013 it was still holding on to the lead: non-hydro sources generated only about 6.2 percent of all electricity in the United States, compared to hydropower’s 6.6 percent.

via Once Mighty Hydropower Falls Behind Other Renewables.