The administration of US President Joe Biden on Monday announced US$6 billion in funding for projects aimed at reducing emissions from the industrial sector. This is the largest investment the United States has ever made to decarbonize domestic industry in the fight against climate change.
The industrial sector is responsible for around 25% of all emissions in the country and has proven difficult to decarbonize due to its large-scale and energy-intensive operations.
Companies in the iron, steel, aluminum, food and beverage, concrete and cement sectors are some of those participating in this initiative. Recipients of the funding, which comes from the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan Infrastructure Act, include 33 demonstration projects in more than 20 states.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said at a news conference that the funded technologies are “reproducible,” “scalable” and “will set a new gold standard for clean manufacturing.” United States and around the world. Ali Zaidi, White House climate adviser, said the funding aims to eliminate 14 million tons of pollution each year, which is the equivalent of taking about three million cars off the road.
“I think the United States can play a leadership role in this area,” said Mike Ireland, president and CEO of the Portland Cement Association, a nonprofit organization that promotes cement and concrete. He said innovative cement and concrete technologies implemented in the United States can be adopted by developing countries in the South to build highways and buildings more sustainably.
There aren’t many U.S. factories that make virgin steel, and even fewer factories that make virgin aluminum, so tackling emissions ― even at just a few facilities ― could go a long way toward reducing the nation’s carbon footprint, said Todd Tucker of the Roosevelt Institute, the nonprofit partner of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Once decarbonization methods are proven, the technology can be exported globally for a more dynamic climate benefit, added Mr Tucker, director of industrial policy and trade at the think tank.
Decarbonization of the electricity and transportation sectors has been at the center of climate discussions and there are generous federal grants for solutions, primarily the use of renewable energy for electricity generation and the adoption of electric vehicles, Tucker said.
But it’s harder to reduce emissions in heavy industries that rely on fossil fuels to create the high heat and chemical reactions needed for their operations.
“The launch of these first projects will be very useful in convincing the industry that this transition is possible and, above all, in convincing Wall Street that this transition is possible,” said Mr. Tucker. The first thing to do is to show that it is viable within the framework of a single project. Once this is achieved, the private and public sectors can develop strategies to solve the rest of the problem. »
New aluminum production in the United States has seen a precipitous decline in recent decades, particularly in recent years, largely because of energy costs, said Annie Sartor, director of aluminum at green industry advocacy organization Industrious Labs. The process uses a huge amount of electricity, accounting for about 40 percent of the cost, Sartor said.
“These facilities have always been located near cheap fossil fuel energy. Today, the coal of the 21ste century, where coal and gas, are no longer the cheapest, she said. These facilities that rely on fossil energy to operate cannot be competitive in the global aluminum market. So they close their doors. »
Switching to producing new aluminum using 100% clean energy could help the climate, stabilize the industry and create jobs, Sartor concluded.