CLEAN EDGE STATES OF RENEWABLES

California, Oregon, Massachusetts, New York, and Colorado Top the Nation in Clean‐Energy Leadership; Clean Edge’s U.S. Clean Energy Leadership Index Provides Companies, Investors, and Governments with Critical Data and Insights on the Clean‐Energy Landscape
May 18, 2011 (Clean Edge)

"Clean Edge’s second annual U.S. Clean Energy Leadership Index…provides the industry’s most comprehensive and objective analysis and ranking of how all 50 states, and the individuals, businesses, and organizations that operate there, compare across the clean-energy spectrum…[The] assessment and ranking of more than 70 different indicators in technology, policy, and capital…[showed] the top 10 states in the nation are California, Oregon, Massachusetts, New York, Colorado, Washington, New Mexico, Minnesota, Connecticut, and Vermont.

"Key market indicators tracked… include total electricity produced by clean-energy sources, hybrid and electric vehicles on the road, clean-energy venture and patent activity, and policy regulations and incentives. The 2011 Leadership Index paints an important and insightful picture of the U.S. clean-energy landscape…[The] bottom 10 states in this year’s rankings (placing 41st through 50th) are Oklahoma, Wyoming, Alaska, North Dakota, Louisiana, Nebraska, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, and West Virginia."

click to enlarge

"…[1] Three states now generate more than 10 percent of their utility-scale electricity from wind, solar, and/or geothermal. Iowa leads the nation with 15.4 percent of its electricity now generated from wind power, followed by North Dakota (11.99 percent from wind) and California (10.06 percent from wind, solar, and geothermal)…[2] Top-ranked California…[is] far ahead of the pack in terms of technology deployment and capital creation…[It] brings in more venture capital than all other states combined…

"…[3] Idaho leads the U.S. in clean electricity as a percentage of its total generation – at an astounding 84 percent – when you include hydro and biomass. Other states that get more than 60 percent of their electricity from renewable sources including hydro and biomass are Washington (71.59 percent), South Dakota (65 percent), and Oregon (63.84 percent)…[4] Oklahoma had more new EVs registered last year than any other state…[because two] of the nation’s largest rental car agencies register their vehicles in Oklahoma…Without that statistical anomaly, California is the nation’s EV leader…"

click to enlarge

"…[5] Michigan held the top spot in clean-energy patents for 2010 with 192 patents…[led by] General Motors, which is reinventing itself as a sustainable transportation leader. GM received more clean energy patents last year than any other company in the U.S., with 135 patents registered in 2010…

"…[6] Mississippi, which ranks in the bottom 10 of the overall Leadership Index, is aggressively pursuing clean-tech manufacturing…In the past year, the state has attracted a host of clean-tech companies to build manufacturing facilities and plants there, including California-based solar company Stion Solar Panels and Texas-based biofuel company KiOR. This shows that even low-ranking states are beginning to aggressively target clean-tech companies and services for their job creation and capital attraction…"