On February 23, from 11 am – 12 pm ET, the Renewable Thermal Collaborative (RTC) hosted a webinar launching the Industrial Electrification in U.S. States report, created by Global Efficiency Intelligence (GEI) and David Gardiner & Associates.
Meeting the United States’ goals of reducing carbon emissions by 50-52% by 2035 requires a concentrated effort to develop and deploy clean technologies across sectors. The country’s industrial sector poses a severe 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 Thermal Vision Report, have identified an opportunity to reduce thermal emissions through electrification, leveraging the rise of renewable electricity to power industrial processes.
This report analyzes a handful of industries and the impact electrification would have on their energy use, emissions, and energy costs. Because industrial facilities, policy, and renewable energy resources vary across geographies, this study takes a state-by-state approach, describing the impacts and benefits of electrification in 20 different jurisdictions. The report makes six recommendations for policymakers looking to electrify their state’s industrial heat use: supporting emerging technologies, using financial incentives, increasing renewable electricity generation, enhancing the grid, engaging communities, and growing the workforce.