Report outlines Oregon's clean energy economy leadership

The Portland Development Commission and Business Oregon, the state's economic development division, will release a report Thursday drilling down into then numbers that show where the state excels when it comes to the emerging clean energy economy.

The report (available for download here) also highlights areas for improvement.

Oregon is a solid No. 2 in the nation, but well behind No.1 California when it comes to economic activity around clean energy, according to 70 indicators tracked in Clean Edge's Clean Energy Leadership Index, an annual report by the research firm Clean Edge.

Commissioned by the PDC and Business Oregon, Portland-based Clean Edge took a closer look at the numbers and compiled a 23-page report comparing Oregon to the other leading states including California, Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts and Texas.

Some of the more striking findings in the report are:

• Oregon leads the group in installed wind capacity as a percentage of total energy capacity with 14.7 percent. The next closest is Colorado with 9.5 percent.
• Oregon's public EV charging stations is off the charts with 50 per 1 million people. The next closest is California with 16 per 1 million people.
• Despite the rest of the country catching up to the state on green building, Oregon still has the most LEED — the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification — projects per 1 million people. Oregon has 60 LEED projects per million compared to Colorado's No. 2 ranking in this area with 52.
• Oregon is No. 2 among the leading states in smart meter deployment, behind Arizona.
• Oregon utility customers have driven the state to the top of the charts for participation in green power programs. Oregon utilities report 2.3 percent of their revenue goes toward consumers buying clean power. Texas came in second in this category with 1.4 percent.

---

@SustainableBzOR | christinawilliams@bizjournals.com | 503.219.3438