San Diego Ranks Third in U.S. for Clean Tech Leadership; Up Four Places from Last Year
Annual Clean Edge Report Finds San Diego and California Lead Among Metros
SAN DIEGO, CA, July 15, 2014 – 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 electric vehicle and renewables adoption to patent and investment activity – ranks San Diego the #3 metro area and California the #1 state.
In the Metro Index, San Francisco and San Jose repeat as #1 and #2, while San Diego jumps four places to #3, giving California the nation’s top three metros and five of the top seven.
Scoring 66.3 overall, San Diego ranks #2 in Clean Electricity and Carbon Management, #4 in Advanced Transportation, and #6 in the categories of Green Buildings and Clean-Tech Investment, Innovation, and Workforce.
“Once again, San Diego has proven to be a national leader in the cleantech economy,” said Cleantech San Diego President Jason Anderson. “Our unique strength lies in collaborative private, public, and academic sectors that see the long-term economic and environmental value of investing in resource-efficient technologies.”
“Clean technology helps to fuel San Diego’s economy and organizations like Cleantech San Diego are the engine that drive our success,” said San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer. “This ranking underscores Cleantech San Diego’s powerful momentum in our region and it also underscores San Diego’s commitment to finding innovative ways to protect this beautiful place we call home.”
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.
“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.”
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
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
Related Links:
A 49-page public report, with supporting tables and charts, can be downloaded for free at www.cleanedge.com.
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About Cleantech San Diego
Cleantech San Diego is a nonprofit member organization that positions the greater San Diego region, including Imperial County and Baja California, as a global leader in the cleantech economy. The organization achieves this by fostering collaborations across the private-public-academic landscape, leading advocacy efforts to promote cleantech priorities, and encouraging investment in the San Diego region. Cleantech San Diego’s membership includes more than 100 local businesses, universities, governments, and nonprofits committed to advancing sustainable solutions for benefit of the economy and the environment. To learn more, visit www.cleantechsandiego.org
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., HIS 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 yonker@cleanedge.com.
About Clean Edge
Clean Edge, Inc., founded in 2000, is the world’s first research and advisory firm devoted to the cleantech 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.
