California leads the nation in clean tech for the fifth consecutive year. (Credit: Flickr @ Peter Lee https://www.flickr.com/photos/oldpatterns/)Clean Edge, an American research and advisory firm, has released its 2014 U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index, which tracks the clean-tech activities of all 50 states and the 50 largest metro areas in the U.S.
According to Clean Edge, clean energy is becoming a popular energy choice for mainstream America. Eleven states now generate more than 10% of their electricity from non-hydro renewable energy sources, with two—Iowa and South Dakota—exceeding 25%. 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.
SEE ALSO: Clean Edge: Solar Deployment Exceeds Wind in 2013
“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:
1. California
2. Massachusetts
3. Oregon
4. Colorado
5. New York
6. New Mexico
7. Washington
8. Illinois
9. Vermont
10. Connecticut
The top ten overall metro areas in this year’s Index are:
1. San Francisco
2. San Jose
3. San Diego
4. Portland, OR
5. Sacramento
6. Boston
7. Los Angeles
8. Washington, DC
9. Austin
10. Denver
Data in the State Index covers more than 70 indicators in three main categories: Technology, Policy, and Capital. Data is included for all 50 states on clean-energy generation, energy storage installations, green building deployment, energy efficiency expenditures, VC investments, clean-energy patents, and much more. (Source: Clean Edge Inc., 2014)
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.
The Metro Index tracks clean-tech activities of the 50 largest U.S. metro regions through more than 20 indicators within the categories: Green Buildings, Advanced Transportation, Clean Electricity & Carbon Management, and Clean Tech Investment & Innovation. (Source: Clean Edge Inc., 2014)
“Net-zero building and energy-storage mandates and new public-private investment vehicles are just a few of the emerging policies that are dramatically shifting the energy landscape,” says Clean Edge senior editor Clint Wilder. “While there have been some regional attacks against clean-tech supportive policies, such as net metering and renewable portfolio standards, for the most part, the clean-tech industry and its allies have successfully fought off such efforts.”
A 49-page public report, with supporting tables and charts, can be downloaded for free.
