California still leads renewables investment among US states

Jul 16, 2014 - California was in 2013 once again the US state with the highest investment in renewables, according to Clean Edge’s annual clean tech leadership index.

Clean-tech research and advisory firm Clean Edge Inc on Tuesday released its clean energy ranking for all 50 US states and the 50 largest metro areas in the country. Ranking second after California, which headed the ranking for the last five years, was the state of Massachusetts, while Oregon came third. The three states kept their positions from the 2013 index unchanged. Colorado and New York occupied the fourth and fifth spots, respectively. Vermont and Connecticut entered the top 10 list, while Hawaii and Minnesota dropped out.

According to the market researcher, 11 states source over 10% of their power from non-hydro renewables, with the percentage topping 25% in Iowa and South Dakota. "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," said Clean Edge senior editor Clint Wilder.

By metro area San Francisco was on top of the Clean Edge index list, followed by San Jose and San Diego.

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