Clean energy has been on a roll.
Back in 2010, just three states received 10 percent or more of their electricity from non-hydro utility-scale renewables. Today, 17 states are members of the 10 Percent Club, with three states (Iowa, South Dakota and Kansas) leading the pack, with 30 percent or more of their electrons from utility-scale wind. Another three states exceed 20 percent non-hydro utility-scale renewables generation (Oklahoma, North Dakota and California). These leaders are politically diverse, with the top 10 states for renewable electricity generation five red states and five blue states.
As we highlight in this year’s U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index, state and city leaders are playing an outsized role in the shift towards a cleaner energy mix. Last year, due to a range of economic and policy factors, wind and solar power represented 61 percent of all new electricity generating capacity installed in the U.S. (for the second year in a row).
There’s no doubt that declining costs have been a key driver fueling this rise. In many regions around the United States, utility-scale onshore wind and solar, even without subsidies, beat coal, nuclear and even combined-cycle natural gas on cost for new generation assets.
Another factor affecting the shift to renewables is supportive regional policies and regulations. In 2016, five states upped their renewable portfolio standard (RPS) targets to 25 percent or more; a sixth, Michigan, extended its RPS to 15 percent and a seventh, Ohio, reinstituted its RPS after having frozen it two years earlier. Five states (California, Hawaii, New York, Oregon and Vermont) have targets of 50 percent or greater and new policy innovations such as electric vehicle, community solar and energy storage incentives and mandates are further moving the proverbial needle.
Cities are flexing their clean-energy muscles, too. Five cities in the index are credited for their 100 percent community-wide renewable electricity commitments (Portland, Oregon; Salt Lake City; San Diego; San Francisco; and San Jose). Atlanta joined this elite group in May, too late to be included in this year’s index scoring.
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