Inside the Race to the Top

Cleantech has unleashed a global revolution, driven from the bottom up. Three major blocs — Europe, the United States, and China — are in a race to the top on cleantech. Yet, the real frontier of change lies within — at the country, state, and province level inside each bloc.

In a new report, Inside the Race to the Top, RMI looks at the energy transition across more than 110 territories across the three blocs. It is a follow up to a previous report on cleantech progress in the United States, China, and Europe. It digs deeper into the local trends, looking at regional differences within each bloc on renewable energy deployment, electric vehicle adoption, electrification, and cleantech manufacturing.

From Iowa to California, Qinghai to Zhejiang, and Norway to Greece, new global cleantech leaders are rising fast.​ There is a wide variation in cleantech uptake within each bloc today. A few trailblazing territories raise the global ceiling of the possible while, for example, some 20 percent still lag the Global South average in wind and solar uptake and electrification. Nevertheless, across all regions, cleantech appears to grow rapidly along a remarkably uniform S-curve. The majority of growth up this S-curve in the coming decade can be achieved by the laggards simply copying today’s leaders.

The cleantech revolution is a technology revolution, and early movers benefit from a virtuous cycle of market power, lower prices, and rising economic activity. The benefits of cleantech are primarily local — stimulating growth, creating jobs, lowering energy costs, improving energy security, and boosting public health. Change, therefore, is likely to be driven from the ground up. As the race intensifies, the regions that invest decisively in this future will secure their position as leaders in growth, innovation, and resilience.