ACEEE | American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
Mar 30, 2022
Industrial Heat Pumps: Electrifying Industry’s Process Heat Supply
Industry accounts for more than 25% of the United States’ energy use and energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which must be reduced to achieve climate stabilization goals. A familiar but …
Industry accounts for more than 25% of the United States’ energy use and energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which must be reduced to achieve climate stabilization goals. A familiar but little-used technology—industrial heat pumps (IHPs)—offer a promising path to greater electrification in industry and ultimately to energy GHG reductions. This research shows that moderate IHP deployment in industrial sectors with high process-heating demands could save up to 32% of net energy use and CO2 emissions/year—equivalent to the emissions of 1.3 million U.S. homes and 2.7 million passenger cars, respectively. IHPs can have simple economic paybacks under 2 years where the price of electricity is within the range of that of natural gas. Potential IHP adopters face many uncertainties with regard to full implementation costs, integration, and maintenance capabilities of the workforce. Field-level demonstrations are crucial to lowering these hurdles. Therefore, there is ample opportunity for incentives from policy and utilities to accelerate IHP acceptance and adoption. Broad support and engagement from multiple stakeholders is needed to hasten learning and deliver on the massive impact potential of IHPs.
Near-Term Pathways to Reduce Emissions from Ethane Crackers
Informed by interviews with over 40 experts across ethylene operators, engineering companies, national labs, benchmarking firms, and more, this paper conveys key aspects about what is actionable, where improvements are needed, and the paths that should be pursued to advance technologies that will meet evolving customer demands, address competition, and significantly lower the environmental impact of ethylene production.
Energy Efficiency Programs for Large Savings in the Next Decade
Expanded utility-funded energy efficiency programs can significantly slow rising electricity demand and reduce electricity bills; this report explains how.
Toward Best Practices for Industrial Innovation: Lessons from the Department of Energy’s Industrial Demonstrations Program
This paper highlights a central lesson for policymakers: Industrial innovation requires alignment across government programs (grants, procurement), financing mechanisms (tax credits, loans), and institutional capacity. When these three are backed by sustained commitment from the public sector, private industry, and external stakeholders, the transition from demonstration to deployment becomes viable.
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