The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the launch of the Industrial Heat Shot™, a new effort aimed at dramatically reducing the cost, energy use, and carbon emissions associated with the heat used to make everything from food to cement and steel. The latest DOE Energy Earthshots Initiative™, the Industrial Heat Shot, seeks to develop cost-competitive solutions for industrial heat with at least 85% lower greenhouse gas emissions by 2035. If this target is achieved, the American industrial sector will be on course to reduce its carbon equivalent emissions by 575 million metric tons by 2050, roughly equal to the annual emissions generated by all passenger cars currently on the road. The effort will reportedly help decarbonize the energy sector and help reach the Biden Administration’s goal of a net-zero emissions economy by 2050.
“Today, heavy industries that produce products such as cement and steel account for 30% of carbon polluting emissions. For the sake of our health and the health of the planet, we must slash carbon pollution from the industrial sector,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “The launch of DOE’s Industrial Heat Shot is an ambitious effort to leverage innovation and U.S. scientific leadership to cut emissions from this sector by 85%—providing cleaner air for Americans, fighting the climate crisis, and pushing forth clean energy breakthroughs.”