The report “The US states driving the energy transition are reaping the benefits” published by the Zero Carbon Analytics uses metrics covering power generation, transport (use of EVs and other low-carbon options), heating, clean tech manufacturing and industrial decarbonisation to track the transition at state level. For power output, the analysis included all low-carbon technologies, acknowledging that while recent energy transition shifts have focused on solar and wind power, states that have historically used hydro and nuclear power already benefit from low-carbon electricity. Key findings:
- While policy changes have slowed the US energy transition, progress continues in several areas, with solar and batteries proving particularly resilient.
- According to the inaugural US energy transition leaderboard used in the analysis, Washington, Arizona, California, Illinois, and Oregon are leading the way to a low-carbon future.
- The analysis shows that the transition to clean energy is happening in Arizona, Kansas, Texas, South Carolina, Nevada, Montana, Tennessee, Indiana, Utah, Georgia, Louisiana, Nebraska, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Illinois, California, and Washington.
- Republican states occupy 13 out of the top 20 positions, suggesting that economics is a far bigger driving force overall than politics.
- The clean energy transition is helping to improve grid reliability and temper price volatility, especially during extreme weather events.
- Out of the 10 US states with the cheapest household electricity, seven have above-average wind and solar adoption rates – including wind energy powerhouses Iowa and Okhlahoma.
Access the report here