U.S. renewables doubled in 10 years

A wind farm in Colorado City, Texas in 2016. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) A wind farm in Colorado City, Texas in 2016. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Photo: Spencer Platt, Staff / Getty Images Photo: Spencer Platt, Staff / Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close U.S. renewables doubled in 10 years 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

WASHINGTON - Electricity generated by wind farms and solar panels has almost doubled since 2008, according to a new report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Renewable energy sources produced a record 742 million megawatt hours - 18 percent of all the electricity generated - last year, compared to 382 million MWh produced in 2008.

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"Growth in renewable technologies in the United States, particularly in wind and solar, has been driven by federal and state policies and declining costs," the report reads. "As more wind and solar projects have come online, economies of scale have led to more efficient project development and financing mechanisms, which has led to continued cost declines."

Roughly 90 percent of the growth came from wind and solar sources.

Wind turbines produced 275 million MWh in 2018, while solar panels produced 96 million MWh. Both were still exceeded by hydroelectric dams, which produced 292 million MWh last year.