The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today released a request for information (RFI) seeking input on the opportunities and challenges for decarbonizing the U.S. industrial sector. The Biden administration has identified industrial decarbonization as a crucial step in confronting the climate crisis and achieving an equitable clean energy future. The goal of the RFI is to help the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) better understand how America’s manufacturing sector can reduce emissions while making technologies that will power the clean economy and increase competitiveness on the global stage.
“The industrial sector accounts for 28% of the nation’s energy-related greenhouse gas emissions,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Kelly Speakes-Backman. “Reducing those emissions is no easy feat but getting this right means that the industrial sector can be a major part of the solution to decarbonize our economy.”
DOE has identified four technology pathways that will be critical to decarbonizing America’s industrial sector: energy efficiency; electrification; low-carbon fuels and feedstocks; and carbon capture, utilization, and storage.
This RFI is focused on key foundational industries including iron and steel, chemicals, cement, and food and beverages. For each industry, AMO is specifically interested in the following areas:
- Emerging industrial decarbonization technologies with potential for the largest impact
- Most attainable opportunities for demonstration-scale projects within the industrial sector
- Barriers to decarbonizing America’s industrial sector
- DOE resources that would be most beneficial in accelerating industrial decarbonization
- Industrial decarbonization strategies that directly and equitably benefit the industrial workforce and surrounding communities.
AMO is also seeking input on crosscutting technology areas, such as steam systems and process heating, that can be applied in sectors across America’s economy for the largest impact. Additionally, AMO is interested in identifying the most effective approaches to developing a diverse, skilled manufacturing workforce that can help achieve industrial decarbonization.
Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to Industrial-Decarb-RFI@ee.doe.gov by 5:00 p.m. ET on February 28, 2022. For more information, visit the AMO website.