New report shows Oregon leadership in decade of U.S. renewable energy progress

Environment Oregon Research & Policy Center

Portland- Oregon ranks #10 in the nation for electric vehicle sales according to a new report released today by Environment Oregon Research & Policy Center. The project, Renewables on the Rise 2020, documents and compares the growth of five key clean energy technologies in each state over the past decade: solar power, wind power, battery storage, energy efficiency and electric vehicles. Oregon has seen a 24.3-fold increase in the amount of electricity it gets from the sun, and a 1.8-fold increase in wind power production since 2010.

“A decade ago, a solar panel on every roof or windmills powering towns may have seemed like a wild fantasy, but the growth in Oregon and other states like it are proving clean energy dream is on its way to becoming a reality,” said Celeste Meiffren-Swango, State Director with Environment Oregon Research & Policy Center. “The gains we’ve seen, especially in electric vehicle sales, electric vehicle charging stations and solar growth should give Oregonians the confidence we need to aim even higher and continue picking up the pace.”

In addition to highlighting states that have made the most progress in adopting renewable energy technologies, the study also shows the rapid gains achieved overall nationally. In 2019, the U.S. produced 30 times more solar power and more than triple the amount of wind energy than it did in 2010. In addition to the growth in renewable energy, utility scale battery storage increased 20-fold since 2010, energy consumption per person declined thanks to improvements in energy efficiency, and more than one million electric vehicles were sold in the U.S.

“We are so much closer to the clean, renewable energy future we need than we were ten years ago, and we should keep working to ensure that the next decade brings us even further,” Meiffren-Swango said.

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Environment Oregon Research & Policy Center is dedicated to protecting our air, water and open spaces. We work to protect the places we love, advance the environmental values we share, and win real results for our environment. For more information, visit www.environmentoregoncenter.org.