Comments on Establishing a New Industrial Decarbonization Manufacturing Institute

In response to a request for information from the U.S. Department of Energy, ACEEE submitted comments on the need for and scope of a new Manufacturing USA Institute focused on industrial decarbonization. We suggest a new institute focus on electrification opportunities that exist across multiple industries to accelerate adoption of these technologies. The institute should focus on the host of electric technologies have been developed over the past decades.

Adoption of these technologies has been relatively modest because of the relatively high cost of electricity versus incumbent hydrocarbon fuels; opportunities to replace equipment are few and far between because of the long life of incumbent technologies; and a lack of information and awareness of energy saving and nonenergy benefits of electric technologies (as noted in a recent ACEEE report on Beneficial Electrification in Industry).