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by Kat Friedrich
While the cleantech industry is still largely concentrated on the coasts, a new report shows Illinois is emerging as a national leader.
In Clean Edge’s new 2014 Clean Tech Leadership Index, which ranks states according to multiple factors, only one Midwestern state, Illinois, broke into the top 10 this year.
Ron Pernick, co-founder and managing director of Clean Edge, says Illinois’s success is due to a strong foundation of policy and capital.
Minnesota, which was in the top 10 in previous years, has dropped to a lower tier.
In the technology section of the index, wind catapulted a few Midwestern and Great Plains states to high rankings.
How the index works
Clean Edge ranks states and metro areas by combining many variables – from the presence of hybrid cars to the prevalence of patents.