Congressional Policy Priorities to Decarbonize U.S. Industry and Enhance Competitiveness

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) made some significant investments in industrial decarbonization, particularly for clean hydrogen and carbon capture, storage, and utilization. However, analyses show that the IRA does not adequately incentivize the full range of renewable thermal solutions. To accelerate the decarbonization of thermal energy for industry and buildings, the RTC […]

Playbook for Decarbonizing Process Heat in the Food & Beverage Sector

In the U.S., food & beverage processing produces more emissions from industrial heat use than any other sector outside of refineries, chemicals, or iron & steel. 97% of the heat in this sector falls in the low-temperature range, making electrification with heat pumps and electric boilers a promising opportunity for cutting emissions in the near-term. According to the Renewable Thermal […]

Case Study: Solar Thermal at Colgate-Palmolive Factory

To advance their decarbonization goals, RTC member Colgate-Palmolive installed a solar thermal system, built by RTC sponsor Absolicon, on the roof of a home goods manufacturing facility in Athens, Greece. After considering other renewable options, Colgate chose solar thermal because it integrates with their existing system, could be installed without pausing production, provides a stable energy source, requires minimal space, […]

Green Hydrogen Technology Assessment

Green hydrogen, produced using electrolysis and renewable electricity, can play a unique and critical role in decarbonizing high-heat industrial processes, such as manufacturing steel, chemicals, and cement. According to the Renewable Thermal Vision Report published by the Renewable Thermal Collaborative, blue and green hydrogen can supply approximately 13% of U.S. industrial process heat by 2050. In the United States, recent […]

Industrial Electrification in U.S. States – Factsheets

Meeting the United States’ goals of reducing carbon emissions 50-52% by 2035 requires a concentrated effort to develop and deploy clean technologies across sectors. The country’s industrial sector poses a serious challenge: while the share of renewable energy used to generate electricity continues to grow, so does the use of thermal energy to produce heat. Previous analyses, including the Renewable […]

Industrial Electrification in U.S. States

Meeting the United States’ goals of reducing carbon emissions 50-52% by 2035 requires a concentrated effort to develop and deploy clean technologies across sectors. The country’s industrial sector poses a serious challenge: while the share of renewable energy used to generate electricity continues to grow, so does the use of thermal energy to produce heat. Previous analyses, including the Renewable […]

Heat Pump Decision Support Tools

Many analyses, including the Renewable Thermal Vision Report, identify electric heat pumps as a critical opportunity to decarbonize low-temperature industrial heat generation, which accounts for 43% of total U.S. industrial thermal emissions. Heat pumps have garnered attention for their ability to utilize heat from ambient (air, water, ground) or waste heat sources, allowing companies to eliminate pollution from fossil fuel […]

RTC Comments to Treasury on IRA Implementation

Since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022, the Renewable Thermal Collaborative (RTC) policy team has submitted several comments to the U.S. Department of Treasury regarding the Act’s implementation. The issues on which the RTC has commented include: The qualification of facility retrofits for the Sec. 48C Advanced Energy Manufacturing Credit The treatment of thermal storage and […]