The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a new initiative to help reduce industrial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and strengthen decarbonization technologies. The agency will use $171 million to fund 49 projects that aim to support high-impact, applied research, development, and pilot-scale technology validation and demonstration (RD&D) projects aiming to reduce energy usage and emissions. The 49 selected projects will be managed by the agency’s Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office, with 16 projects being led by private industry, 22 by academic institutions, three by non-profit organizations, and eight by DOE National Laboratories. The projects can be grouped into eight areas of focus, including decarbonizing industrial heat, low-carbon fuels utilization R&D, and decarbonizing iron and steel.
In addition, the DOE has made $83 million in funding available to applicants who can help decrease emissions from hard-to-decarbonize industrial sectors. The Energy- and Emissions-Intensive Industries (EEII) funding opportunity will be accepting concept papers until March 19, 2024, with full applications due June 11.
In a recent quote, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said, “Today’s announcement will help advance the innovative technologies we need to lower costs and improve energy efficiency in America’s factories and industrial centers. Ensuring America's industrial sector and its robust workforce remain strong and competitive is key to maintaining our nation’s edge as a global economic powerhouse and accelerating President Biden’s vision of a strong, made-in-America clean energy future.”