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.
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