Where’s California’s clean-energy capital? You may be surprised: Guest commentary

Publication Date
Author
F. Noel Perry and Christopher Thornberg
Source
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

When people think of the phrase “disruptive technologies,” one of the first things that might pop into their heads is a Silicon Valley start-up. But right now, perhaps the most interesting market disruption we are witnessing is in energy, as old ways of powering our economy give way to advanced technologies.

And as we found when compiling Next 10’s 2016 California Green Innovation Index, which presents fresh economic data from 26 metro regions, clean energy leadership can be found across California — not just in traditional innovation hotspots.

Riverside-San Bernardino is California’s No. 1 region for both residential solar energy and commercial solar power. The region’s GDP grew by 2.9 percent from 2013 to 2014. At the same time, the region ranked sixth in the number of green patents granted.

The area has enjoyed a sustained influx of people, with its population growing by 31 percent from 1990 to 2014. The downside: This has helped lead to the worst commute times in the state of California. At the same time, Inland Empire drivers are embracing clean transportation, with the Riverside-San Bernardino region ranking fifth for the number of electric vehicle rebates in the state.

Fresno leads the state in industrial solar energy. Bakersfield ranks third for installed residential solar capacity on a per-capita basis, and third for industrial solar power overall. And solar isn’t just for the bigger cities: the Hanford-Corcoran area earned the No. 1 spot for both commercial and industrial solar capacity per capita.

Los Angeles takes the pole position when it comes to clean vehicles, with drivers claiming more zero-emission rebates than any other metro area.

Add it all up, and metro regions across the state — and California as a whole — are showing it’s possible to decouple economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions per capita. We are growing our economy while also making it cleaner.

Regions with a reputation for innovation are also a big part of the story. Silicon Valley and San Francisco rank first and second, respectively, for clean tech patents. Regions across the state are also producing a small but growing number of clean tech patents, as they take part in the innovation culture that has earned California an increasing amount of clean tech investment dollars (up 35 percent in 2015, to $9.8 billion).

Bakersfield patent registration was up 26 percent in 2015 over the previous year, a trend seen in other Central Valley regions as well. Modesto recorded a modest 13 patents, but has seen growth in this category over the past few years. Fresno has also recorded consistent growth recently and filed 11 patents in 2015. Overall, California’s patent registration topped the nation in all major clean tech categories in 2015.

The emergence of California’s clean energy economy in region after region is part of a whole that is bigger than a sum of its parts. Energy markets are seeing a historic shift. In the U.S., 68 percent of all the new generating capacity brought online last year was renewable. Worldwide, 90 percent of all new energy capacity added last year was renewable. The price of clean energy technology continues to drop as investment grows. Meanwhile, the coal industry — which for the last century has provided the primary fuel for electricity generation in the U.S. — is experiencing widespread decline.

California has a long record of policies encouraging clean energy, efficiency and climate action, and finds itself well positioned to lead in the emerging clean energy economy. Regions across California are driving this trend, and benefiting from it.