U.S. Department of Energy announces more than $43 million in projects

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(link is external), 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.

Electrified Processes for Industry without Carbon Institute Project Selections

Selected projects will cost-effectively lower emissions, enhance energy efficiency, and expedite industrial decarbonization through the electrification of process heat—the single largest source of industrial emissions.

The selected projects will develop and scale innovative electric heating concepts for chemicals, steel, and cement manufacturing to reduce emissions, improve flexibility, and enhance the energy efficiency of industrial heating using cost-effective solutions. In addition, these projects will address the challenge of integrating these new technologies and processes into existing facilities designed around conventional heating technologies.

The EPIXC Institute is DOE’s newest Manufacturing USA institute funded through DOE’s Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO) and led by Arizona State University. The institute is a public-private partnership developed to drive decarbonization of the industrial sector using clean electricity with cost effective, high-impact solutions that will help increase U.S. industrial competitiveness and decrease GHG emissions.

Project Support

These investments are part of the Technologies for Industrial Emissions Reduction Development (TIEReD) Program, which leverages resources across DOE’s applied research offices to invest in fundamental science, research, development, initial pilot-scale demonstrations projects, and technical assistance and workforce development.

These projects are funded by IEDO in DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.