San Diego ranks third in U.S. for clean tech leadership

Annual Clean Edge Report finds San Diego and California lead among metros.

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    Clean Edge, a leading clean-tech research firm, has 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