About Oregon

According to the Portland Development Commission, in 2011 Oregon ranked second in the nation in clean energy leadership and enjoys a number of key assets that set it apart in the clean-tech sector, according to a report co-sponsored by the Commission and Business Oregon. Oregon’s Clean Energy Economy leverages data from Clean Edge’s 2011 State Clean Energy Leadership Index, a subscription-based research service which produces comprehensive performance scores and rankings for all 50 U.S. states based on activity in three key clean-energy categories: technology, policy, and capital.

“The Clean Edge Report again demonstrates that Oregon is one of the nation’s leading clean energy economies and is also poised for significant growth,” said Business Oregon Director Tim McCabe. “Business Oregon and our partners will continue to leverage our successes in clean technology sectors to create more jobs for Oregonians and new business opportunities for Oregon companies.”

While the report acknowledges that the clean energy industry’s relative infancy, varying sector definitions and fast-moving changes in employment figures make clean energy jobs surprisingly difficult to track, two separate reports by the Pew Center on the States and the Brookings Institution put Oregon at or near the top in the percentage of jobs dedicated to the clean economy.

Other key findings from the report:

Oregon ranks #1 in the nation in LEED certified green building projects per capita in 2010.
Oregon ranks #2 for smart meter penetration nationwide.
Oregon ranks #3 in the U.S. in hybrid electric vehicle adoption.
Oregon ranks #6 in the U.S. in total installed wind capacity and total generation.
Oregon, Washington and California rank as the top three states for total EV charging stations as well as charging stations per capita.
Oregon ranked in the top five states for total clean energy venture investments, on a per-capita basis, in both 2010 and between 2008-2010.
For a smaller state, Oregon does fairly well in new patent generation, finishing ninth on a per-capita basis from 2002-2010.
Oregon is home to several top clean energy employers, including Solarworld (1050 employees), Sanyo (200), Vestas (400), Iberdrola (400), CH2MHill (1000), PECI (312) and Clear Edge Power (225).

Check out this video clip about the attractions of Portland an the surrounding area: