Last year, nearly $248 billion was spent on clean energy in the U.S., which is more than triple the amount just five years ago. What’s more, there’s already been $147 billion in new investments through the first half of 2024, according to research group Climate Central.
In Nevada and Colorado, that’s being driven by automakers producing electric vehicles – and people buying EVs. In Utah and Idaho, solar power is leading the charge, from developers building large-scale solar farms to homeowners adding panels. And in Wyoming and New Mexico, clean energy spending is carried by wind power projects.
In all, those six Mountain West states have invested about $70 billion in clean energy technologies, led by Nevada ($25 billion) and Colorado ($19 billion).
“We talk a lot about climate change and the consequences, and so it's important to also talk about what people are doing,” said Jen Brady, a senior data analyst at Climate Central, which produced the report. “These clean investments are the main ways we are going to solve the climate crisis.”
But, Brady said, as long as fossil fuels are burning, temperatures will keep rising. In fact, this past summer was the Earth’s hottest season on record, according to NASA.
A warming climate, she added, puts more people at risk of extreme weather events, ranging from destructive wildfires in the West to deadly hurricanes in the South.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
