California Business Minute™

Hi, I am Tim Johnson and welcome to the California Business Minute.

The United States Energy Information Administration recently completed a ranking
of the top 10 states in the United States for renewable electricity generation
capacity. While most states will probably not come as a surprise, a few will. The
rankings are particularly important at this time, when cap and trade legislation
is being debated by Congress in Washington D.C.

The renewable electricity generation rankings were based upon electricity being
generated from the following sources: biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar,
wind and wood. Not surprisingly, some of the states near the top of the rankings
are ones that benefit from their geographic location, while others have enacted
legislation that mandated the use of electricity from renewable energy sources.

Below the list of the top 10 states in the U.S. in terms of electricity generated
from renewable energy sources. The list of rankings reflects the percentage of
the state’s national share of electricity derived from renewable energy sources.

1. Washington (22.2%)
2. California (11.9%)
3. Oregon (9.9%)
4. New York (8.0%)
5. Texas (4.6%)
6. Montana (2.8%)
7. Idaho (2.7%)
8. Alabama (2.6%)
9. Maine (2.3%)
10. Arizona (2.0%).

Please find below the leading states by type of renewable energy source used to
produce electricity, including the percentage of national share.

1. Geothermal: California (88%)
2. Solar: California (79%)
3. Hydroelectric: Washington (31%)
4. Wood: Maine (10%)
5. Wind: Texas (27%)
6. Biomass: Oregon (10%)

I am Tim Johnson and this has been the California Business Minute.