Colorado’s growing solar and wind farms generated the equivalent of 44% of the total electricity consumed in the state in 2025, according to a new study from nonprofits CoPIRG and Environment Colorado, up from 19% in 2016.
The combination of wind, solar and a small amount from geothermal energy places Colorado in the top echelon of renewable energy states, ranking sixth in the nation for wind and 10th for installed battery storage, a key to a reliable clean energy grid.
The “State of Renewable Energy” report includes a link to a dashboard where each state’s production is detailed on an interactive map, with data released by CoPIRG Foundation and Environment Colorado Research & Policy Center.
The rankings invite illuminating comparisons, with Colorado ranking high alongside similar population states with relatively progressive political reputations, such as Minnesota, Oregon and Washington. Here is a comparison of solar energy production in Colorado and a select handful of neighbors and peers:
The charts also show, though, that nearby states with a deep-pink-to-red political reputation, ostensibly less welcoming to renewable energy, do quite well these days in clean energy production. Iowa’s wind farms are producing an energy bonanza, with Kansas also climbing the renewable rankings. Utah, meanwhile, doesn’t have the same favorable geography for massive wind farms, nor perhaps as much policy interest in building renewable energy. Colorado ranks 6th in wind, and here’s another group comparison:
The nonprofits’ statistics on electric vehicle registrations date from 2024, but still offer a comparison across states. Washington state does very well in EV adoption, even better than Colorado’s substantial growth:
Growth in the total number of EV charging ports seems to follow the vehicle registrations:
Finally, very different chart shapes emerge from a comparison of battery storage capacity, key to renewable energy’s continued adoption. States that want to replace more of their fossil fuel-powered electrical grid with cleaner sources must add increasingly affordable utility-scale battery storage to cover overnight needs and gaps from lack of sun or wind. Colorado appears to be ahead of other renewables leaders like Kansas and Iowa in pairing its solar and wind farms with battery backup.
Colorado clean energy advocates have warned national and local progress in the power transition are threatened by federal cuts to subsidies and tax credits for solar, wind, EV sales, battery production and more. Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resilience, supported by a dedicated local sales tax, continues to support innovations such as an agrivoltaic growing project under solar panels installed in fields at Denver Botanic Gardens’ Chatfield Farms, executive director Elizabeth Babcock said.
Colorado lawmakers should sustain the growth reflected in the charts by continuing to cut local red tape for homeowners and businesses switching to clean energy, the advocates said. They should continue to support heat pumps, battery storage and EVs with subsidies and education.
“We need to pick up the pace,” said CoPIRG Foundation clean air advocate Kirsten Schatz.