The Austin region is leading the clean technology revolution. As the capital of Texas, Austin offers unmatched access to the power players of the global energy industry. Our vibrant region is home to industry-leading electric vehicle manufacturers, system integrators, and solar companies.

We support clean energy innovation with our highly educated workforce, globally respected research institutions, top-tier infrastructure, and winning entrepreneurial spirit.

Whether you’re working with solar or wind power, fuel cells, biomass and geothermal resources, biofuels, advanced automotive technologies, energy storage, advanced power systems, smart grid, or sustainable energy-saving technologies, Austin is the right place.

The Austin clean energy engine

Austin Energy is consistently ranked by NREL as one of the top green public power utilities in the nation for its GreenChoice renewable power program. Austin Energy has collaborated with municipal entities to create the Pecan Street Research Institute, an effort to develop a smart grid and business model for utilities that seamlessly integrates distributed solar and wind power, energy storage, and electric vehicles.

In 2022, Site Selection named Austin as the No. 1 metro for sustainability based on green industry investment projects, prevalence of LEED-certified and Energy Star buildings, and installed solar PV capacity.

Austin is also the headquarters for The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the state’s independent electric grid and manages the deregulated market for 75 percent of Texas. ERCOT provides clean energy companies access to one of the largest independent, deregulated electric grids in the United States.

Our clean energy engine includes:

• An established center for clean technology headquarters, R&D, and manufacturing operations. Austin has over 200 existing clean technology companies that employ an estimated 30,000 people.
• University of Texas at Austin: The world’s preeminent energy research institution with concentrations in oil, gas, advanced materials, advanced computing, and cleantech.
• The University of Texas Clean Energy Incubator: a clean energy start-up resource provider.
• Clean TX: a cluster development organization.
• Pecan Street Research Institute: a partnership between the city of Austin, Austin Chamber of Commerce, Austin Energy, Environmental Defense Fund, and the University of Texas at Austin to create a test bead new smart grid technologies. Pecan Street’s research network is the only real-world electricity-gas-water test bed on the planet conducting groundbreaking data research and product testing in the energy, water, transportation and agriculture sectors.
• Lead implementation city for the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Mobility Transformation Program.
  
• Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing approved by state legislation and local governments.

Austin's commitment to clean tech & the environment

Austin has made a commitment to clean energy—and to the environment.

Whether you’re working with solar or wind power, fuel cells, biomass and geothermal resources, biofuels, or sustainable energy-saving technologies, Austin is the right place, and now is the right time, to plug in to the clean energy industry.

As the capital of Texas, Austin offers unmatched access to the power players of the global energy industry. A community with a strong commitment to the environment, sustainability, and quality of life, Austin is making its mark as the clean energy capital of the world.

The private and public sectors, local utilities, major energy users, non-profits, and educational institutions are all working together to put Austin at the center of the clean energy map. In fact, Austin has been ranked as the top cleantech innovation hub in the nation by CleanEdge, CICE, SustainLane, Forbes, TIME, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and many others. Today in Austin, we have a healthy and diverse cleantech economy, which includes wind project development, solar inverter technologies, advanced batteries, smart grid, biofuels, electric vehicles, green building, and a wide array of energy efficiency technologies.

A recognized center of technology innovation, Austin has the infrastructure and talent to support pioneering clean energy efforts. From start-ups, to R&D and major manufacturing, Austin is a proven location.

Austin's clean tech industry

Cleantech patent activity

Austin ranks in the top 20 among all U.S. metros for the number of cleantech patents awarded from 2011 to 2016.



Source: Brookings Institution, April 2017.