Solar and EV Adoption, Climate Policies, and Green Finance Drive U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index Growth

PORTLAND, Ore., July 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Clean Edge, a leading clean-tech research firm, today 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.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140714/126892

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:

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

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.

"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."

About the U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index
Sponsors of the 2014 U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index include lead partners The Energy Foundation and Wells Fargo and supporting partners Connecticut's Clean Energy Finance & Investment Authority, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, New York City Economic Development Corp., Portland Development Commission, and Sparkpr. In addition to publicly available datasets and Clean Edge-derived indicators, Clean Edge leverages data from private data partners including Cleantech Group, Fuel Cells 2000, Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti P.C., IHS Automotive, and Interstate Renewable Energy Council.

Complete state and metro datasets are available to Index partners. For information on subscription packages contact Bryce Yonker, Clean Edge Director of Business Development, at 503-206-8448 or [email protected].

About Clean Edge
Clean Edge, Inc., founded in 2000, is the world's first research and advisory firm devoted to the clean-tech sector. Clean Edge managing director Ron Pernick and senior editor Clint Wilder are coauthors of two business books, The Clean Tech Revolution (HarperCollins, 2007) and Clean Tech Nation (HarperCollins, 2012). The company offers a suite of benchmarking services, including clean-energy stock indexes, the U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index, and the soon-to-be-released Benchmarking Utility Clean Energy report with Ceres. To keep abreast of the latest clean-tech trends or learn more about Clean Edge, visit www.cleanedge.com and follow us on Twitter @CleanEdgeInc

For more information
Ron Pernick
[email protected]
503-493-8681

SOURCE Clean Edge, Inc.