Current:Home > ScamsThe Surprising List of States Leading U.S. on Renewable Energy -SecureWealth Bridge
The Surprising List of States Leading U.S. on Renewable Energy
View
Date:2025-04-17 20:05:25
Which states are driving the nation’s clean energy boom? A new analysis, which ranks states in a dozen different ways, offers some intriguing results.
Depending on what’s measured, many different states can claim laurels, according to the report published Thursday by the science advocacy group Union of Concerned Scientists. And there are high performers among states led by Republicans and Democrats alike.
Kansas led the nation in largest increase in renewable energy generation between 2011-15. Hawaii ranked No. 1 in residential solar power. In California, electric vehicles made up the highest percentage of new car sales last year. And in Iowa, in-state companies could most easily procure renewable energy from utilities and third-party providers in 2016 than anywhere else.
There’s a misconception that clean energy “is something only a few states are doing,” Scott Clausen, a policy expert at the American Council on Renewable Energy who was not involved in this report told InsideClimate News. “It’s really not. It’s becoming much more widespread.”
For this analysis, the authors developed a dozen metrics to gauge a state’s participation in the clean energy industry over time. They measured a state’s existing and planned adoption of renewable energy sources, the impact of the industry on jobs and reviewed policies designed to grow the industry. Every state was ranked in each category, and overall.
“No. 1 overall is California,” said UCS energy analyst and study author John Rogers. “It tops in one of our metrics”—electric vehicle adoption—”and it really gets to the top spot overall by being a stellar all-around performer on clean energy.” The state was also among the leaders in total installed residential solar through 2016 and the slice of in-state power generation that came from renewable sources in 2015.
But some smaller states also excelled. Rhode Island and Massachusetts, for example, both ranked high in categories relating to energy efficiency.
Perhaps the most surprising rankings involved Republican-led states more typically known for their fossil fuel production. For example, South Dakota ranked first for how much of its 2015 in-state power generation came from renewables, largely due to its hydro and wind resources. Wyoming and North Dakota were the top two states in new renewable energy capacity planned through 2019. These same three states also made the top 10 in total clean energy jobs per thousand people.
While this report paints an optimistic picture of the U.S. clean energy industry, it faces new obstacles even in states when there has been progress. For example, in Oklahoma the governor just signed a bill rolling back a popular state tax credit that helped grow the state’s wind industry.
veryGood! (2)
Related
- Average rate on 30
- Score 50% Off Banana Republic, 50% Off Old Navy, 50% Off Pottery Barn, 50% Off MAC Cosmetics & More Deals
- What 'Bridgerton' gets wrong about hot TV sex scenes
- Zac Brown's Ex Kelly Yazdi Says She Will Not Be Silenced in Scathing Message Amid Divorce
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- House GOP says revived border bill dead on arrival as Senate plans vote
- Travis Kelce Reveals How His Loved Ones Balance Him Out
- Former Red Sox pitcher arrested in Florida in an underage sex sting, sheriff says
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- Full transcript of Face the Nation, May 19, 2024
Ranking
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- 'Bachelorette' star Ryan Sutter says he and wife Trista are 'fine' amid mysterious posts
- No TikTok? No problem. Here's why you shouldn't rush to buy your child a phone.
- At least 27 killed in central Gaza airstrike as U.S. envoy visits the region
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Hometown of Laura Ingalls Wilder set for a growth spurt
- Why Eva Longoria Says Her 5-Year-Old Son Santiago Is Very Bougie
- Eminem's Daughter Hailie Jade Marries Evan McClintock With Her Dad By Her Side
Recommendation
Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
Patricia Heaton Defends Harrison Butker Amid Controversial Speech Backlash
Dog food sold by Walmart is recalled because it may contain metal pieces
At least 68 dead in Afghanistan after flash floods caused by unusually heavy seasonal rains
This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
Sean Diddy Combs apologizes for alleged attack seen in 2016 surveillance video
Primary ballots give Montana voters a chance to re-think their local government structures
Bashing governor in publicly funded campaign ads is OK in Connecticut legislative races, court rules