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The specific industrial process required often determines energy use in industry. For example, the aluminum industry uses large amounts of electricity for smelting while the glass industry uses large amount of natural gas to melt silica in furnaces. With our Industries of the Future process, ITP focuses specific R&D on the nation's eight most energy-intensive industries—aluminum, chemicals, forest product, glass, metal casting, mining, petroleum refining, and steel. Through the development of new technologies and processes in the Industries of the Future, we expect to save 2.0 quads of energy and $7.9 billion, and to avoid 36.7 million metric tons carbon equivalent (MMTCE) of climate change gases by 2020.
As a measure of the success of the Industries of the Future and crosscutting R&D strategies, ITP currently has more than 120 technologies that are emerging from research and development and are expected to be ready for commercialization within the next one to two years. Of these, more than 50 have been identified as being immediately ready for field testing.
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Some important technologies, such as sensors and automation, materials, and combustion, are common to most manufacturing processes. Because these crosscutting technologies are so widely used, a small improvement in efficiency can effect a large energy savings across many industries. By performing technology R&D on crosscutting technologies, we are expecting to save .8 quads of energy and $3.4 billion, and to avoid 13.2 MMTCE of climate change gases by 2020.
ITP tracks energy savings as well as other benefits associated with the successfully commercialized technologies resulting from its research partnerships. Our Impacts report summarizes some of these benefits including energy savings, waste reduction, increased productivity, lowered carbon dioxide and air pollutant emissions, and improved product quality.
Other EERE Programs
The Industrial Technologies Program is integral to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and works hand in hand with other EERE sectors. Our industrial technologies can benefit from, and contribute to, research and development efforts across EERE. For a complete list of other EERE Programs, visit the EERE Home Page.
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