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Clean Edge, a leading clean-tech research firm, released its 2014 U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index. The Index, which tracks the clean-tech activities of all 50 states and the 50 largest metro areas in the U.S. – from EV and renewables adoption to patent and investment activity – is available to partners and subscribers. A 49-page public report, with supporting tables and charts, can be downloaded for free at www.cleanedge.com.
Clean energy is becoming a popular energy choice for mainstream America. Eleven states now generate more than 10 percent of their electricity from non-hydro renewable energy sources, with two – Iowa and South Dakota – exceeding 25 percent. Solar installations climbed more than 40 percent year-over-year in the U.S., while registrations of all-electric vehicles doubled between the 2013 and 2014 indexes, to approximately 200,000 nationwide.
“Climate disruption and the growing availability of market-competitive clean-energy technologies are driving many states and cities to tackle climate issues head-on,” says Clean Edge founder and managing director Ron Pernick. “More than ever, this year’s Leadership Index highlights how some top regions are taking climate action seriously, with double-digit clean-energy adoption rates, new policies like California’s energy-storage mandate, and the deployment of clean-energy investment vehicles such as New York’s green bank.”
The top 10 overall states in the 2014 State Index are:
- California
- Massachusetts
- Oregon
- Colorado
- New York
- New Mexico
- Washington
- Illinois
- Vermont
- Connecticut
California leads the nation in clean tech for the fifth consecutive year, with Massachusetts and Oregon repeating their #2 and #3 rankings from the 2013 State Index. Vermont and Connecticut moved into the Top 10 this year, while Hawaii and Minnesota dropped out. In the Metro Index, San Francisco and San Jose repeated as #1 and #2, while San Diego jumped four places to #3, giving California the nation’s top three metros and five of the top seven. Eight of the top 10 metro areas are located in the top four states; the exceptions are Washington D.C. (a city without a state), and Austin.
To read the full press release, click here.