U.S. Department of Energy Announces More Than $43 Million in Projects To Drive Industrial Decarbonization Through Cross-Cutting Technologies
Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced more than $43 million in selected projects to support the development of transformational technologies essential for reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions across industrial subsectors. With 16 projects selected as part of a $38 million funding opportunity on cross-sector technologies and five projects selected in partnership with the Electrified Processes for Industry without Carbon (EPIXC) Institute, these investments will drive industrial emissions down while increasing America’s manufacturing competitiveness in global markets.
DOE’s investments in cross-sector technologies address common decarbonization challenges across the U.S. industrial sector and can be tailored to meet the unique needs of specific subsectors. Selected projects will advance DOE’s Industrial Heat Shot™ initiative, which aims to develop cost-competitive industrial heat decarbonization technologies with at least 85% lower greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.
“These investments will help the United States meet the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of a net-zero economy by 2050,” said Jeff Marootian, principal deputy assistant secretary of energy efficiency and renewable energy. “Through the deployment of cost-competitive technology solutions, the U.S. industrial sector can increase global manufacturing competitiveness while reducing emissions in communities across the country.”
Cross-Sector Technologies Funding Opportunity Announcement Project Selections
These projects will advance research, development, and pilot-scale demonstrations of cross-sector process and equipment technologies with wide applicability and high emissions reduction potential. Topics were selected in the following three areas.
- Electrification of Industrial Heat. Selected projects focus on addressing emissions associated with industry’s use of process heating through electrification solutions ranging from industrial heat pumps to laser-based drying and curing technologies.
- Efficient Energy Use in Industrial Systems. Selected projects focus on increasing energy efficiency at both the technology level and facility level, helping to reduce system losses and optimize a facility’s energy use. Projects include advanced membrane solutions to reduce the energy use of separations processes and the development of more efficient high-temperature heat exchangers.
- Decarbonizing Organic Wastewater and Wet Waste Treatment. Selected projects focus on reducing the direct and indirect emissions and energy use associated with treating wastewater and wet waste. Projects range from the application of photocatalytic disinfectant technologies for removing nitrous oxide from wastewater to energy-efficient aeration technology for water resource recovery facilities.
