Maine has moved up in a ranking of states based on clean technology policies, use and development.

The state moved from 22nd to 18th on the Clean Tech Leadership Index, which is put together by Clean Edge, a research and advisory firm in the clean technology sector.

Maine gained in the ranking of the states in overall technology, where it moved up from 15th to ninth, and in policy, where it gained eight spots to move from 27th to 19th. The state also moved up in the ranking for biomass generation, from 15th to ninth, but lost its top spot in smart-meter market penetration to Nevada and fell a spot, from 24th to 25th, in capital for clean technologies.

“The new Clean Tech Leadership Index follows other recent reports demonstrating that Maine’s wind, tidal and biomass resources position the state for economic progress throughout its alternative energy sector,’ said Jeff Marks, the executive director of the Environmental and Energy Technology Council of Maine.

“For those of us who work to promote Maine’s clean tech economy – E2Tech (the Environmental and Energy Technology Council of Maine and the) Maine Technology Institute, among other organizations – and for the many new and growing Maine businesses in this sector, it is encouraging to see the results of this work recognized,” said Jim Katsiaficas, the board chair of E2Tech.

Katsiaficas pointed out, however, that all five of the other New England states rank higher than Maine, led by Massachusetts, which is ranked second nationally; Vermont, ranked third; and Connecticut, ranked eighth.

California was ranked first among the states and San Francisco, San Jose and San Diego were ranked as the top large metropolitan areas.