Why Not Ohio? California leads clean energy leadership index

[irishbobcat]

Your negative old man thinking is getting old, Dan......

[Dan Moadus]

That's great Dennis. Just what we want to be like; California.

[irishbobcat]

Why Not Ohio? California leads clean energy leadership index

California leads clean energy leadership index
By Heather Clancy | Jan 10, 2011 | 2 Comments

The usual suspects top the list of highly ranked states in cleantech consulting and research firm Clean Edge's first annual "U.S. Clean Energy Leadership Index." But did you know that Michigan holds onto the most clean energy patents?

There are 80 different metrics that make up the index selection criteria, falling into the areas of clean electricity, clean transportation, energy intelligence, green building, regulations and mandates, incentives, financial capital, and human/intellectual capital.

As you might expect, California led the ranking by a wide margin. Here's the complete top 10, along with their index scores, so you can see the gaps between each):

California (91.6)
Oregon (68.6)
Massachusetts (67.6)
Washington (61.
Colorado (59.9)
New York (58.6)
Illinois (57.9)
Connecticut (55.2)
Minnesota (53.4)
New Jersey (52.4)
Some fun metrics to consider, other than the Michigan factoid:

Washington leads the nation in policy, Massachusetts leads in regulations and mandates, and Illinois leads in incentives
Iowa receives more than 14 percent of its in-state electricity generation from wind power; that makes it the nation's leader in clean electricity generation as a percentage of total electricity, according to Clean Edge
Massachusetts has attracted more venture capital per capita than any other state
On this list, size doesn't matter, according to a statement in the press release by Clean Edge senior analyst Trevor Winnie.

"In order to guarantee that smaller states aren't put at a disadvantage, all quantitative indicators are adjusted for state size using metrics such as state population, state [gross domestic product], and electricity generation capacity. By reporting in terms of per capita or percentage of state GDP, smaller and less populous states are not penalized for having relatively smaller economies."

Where does your state stand on the index, I'm afraid you will probably need a subscription to figure it out (if it isn't in the top 10). But it is probably worth the attention of both local government policy makers and corporate sustainability executives, as they steer their own policy.