2024 was a critical year for DOE's Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO) as we continued to invest in transformational technologies and foster meaningful relationships to help U.S. industry thrive.
Industrial Efficiency & Decarbonization Office
January 14, 2025
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For the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO), 2024 was a critical year as we continued to invest in transformational technologies and foster meaningful relationships to help U.S. industry thrive. Since January 2023, IEDO has invested more than $350 million in industrial innovation to sharpen America's competitive edge globally and ensure that the health, wealth, and well-being of all Americans grows alongside the U.S. industrial sector.
What Did the Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office Accomplish in 2024?
More than $350 million invested
150 projects in 40+ states
Highlights include:
- Invested in Technologies Tailored for Energy- and Emissions-Intensive Industries. The office invested more than $136 million for 66 selected projects across 30 states to advance technology solutions for core portions of our nation’s industrial base, including the manufacturing of chemicals and fuels, iron and steel, cement and concrete, forest and paper products, food and beverage, glass and other industries. These industries account for over 75% of the U.S. industrial energy demand, employ 13 million Americans, and contribute $27 trillion to U.S. gross domestic product.
- Invested in Technologies with Wide Applicability Across the Industrial Sector. IEDO invested $38 million for 16 projects to advance cross-sector technologies that address common process and equipment challenges across the diverse industrial sector. Selected projects cover a range of topics including the electrification of industrial heat, efficient energy use in industrial systems, and innovation for organic wastewater and wet waste treatment.
- Invested in Water Innovation to Advance Desalination and Water Reuse Technologies. The office invested $75 million over five years for the second phase of DOE's National Alliance for Water Innovation, DOE's energy innovation hub for desalination. The alliance convenes industry and academic partners to deliver clean water to American communities and consumers and fully optimize water treatment and supply systems.
Developed Solutions to Enable Nationwide Electricity Growth
1 Data-Driven Analysis of Energy Use from Data Centers
10 Regional Onsite Energy Technical Assistance Partnerships
$4.8 Million Investment in Energy Storage Solutions
Highlights include:
- Led the Development of the 2024 Report on U.S. Data Center Energy Use. Estimates indicate that data center load growth has tripled over the past decade and is projected to double or triple by 2028 due to the rise in data center expansion, artificial intelligence applications, domestic manufacturing growth, and electrification of different industries. The report highlights the importance of the work that DOE is doing to develop and deploy technology solutions like flexible energy storage and on-site energy.
- Launched the Onsite Energy Program. IEDO-funded regional partnerships designed to help industrial facilities integrate onsite energy technologies ranging from geothermal and wind to combined heat and power. The program is working to take demand off the electricity grid by enabling industrial facilities and data centers to generate electricity and heat on-site, from flexible, reliable, and affordable energy resources.
- Developed the Energy Storage Innovations Prize. A $4.8 million prize, the Energy Storage Innovations Prize is seeking cost-effective energy storage solutions that support an industrial facility's thermal or electric energy needs. Innovative energy storage technologies will be critical to helping the United States meet rising electricity demand and positioning the nation as a leader in global markets.
Preparing America's Workforce for the Future
$3 Million for the New Industrial Technical Assistance and Training Program
317 Better Plants Partners Saving a Collective $14 Billion
Highlights include:
- Launched the Industrial Sustainability, Energy Efficiency, and Decarbonization (ISEED) Collaborative. IEDO developed this program to fund five organizations to provide technical assistance and training resources to upskill existing workers and train the next generation of workers for the competitive, evolving industrial sector of the future.
- Collaborated with 317 Industrial Partners to Increase the Adoption of Energy Efficient, Competitive Manufacturing Practices. The Better Plants program works with manufacturers and water utilities to set ambitious energy savings goals and provides technical assistance to help those facilities achieve their targets. The program has helped 317 industry partners at 3,700 facilities implement energy efficiency and process optimization practices to save $14.1 billion since 2009. Check out season 2 of the Better Climate Challenge Road Show to learn more about how DOE's Better Plants and Better Climate Challenge programs supported U.S. industry in 2024.
Convening Stakeholders to Foster Innovation
Hosted 10 Stakeholder Events, Workshops, Webinars, and Trainings
1,500+ Stakeholders Attended Events
17 Members Appointed to Industrial Technologies Innovation Advisory Committee
Want to learn more about the work we’ve accomplished with our partners in 2024? Check out our Industrious series, where we spotlight the people we work with to transform the U.S. industrial sector for the future, including:
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- Industrial Decarbonization Technologies
- Decarbonization
Industrious series: Meet Corey Tyree, who shares in Q&A interview how curiosity led him from a rural town into engineering. -
- Industrial Decarbonization Technologies
- Decarbonization
- Advanced Manufacturing Processes
- Clean Energy
- Energy Efficiency
Industrious Series: Chenn Zhou discusses how a parent-teacher conference redirected her career.
Highlights include:
- Solicited Industry Feedback at Transforming Industry Workshop. IEDO convened 180 stakeholders across industry, academia, and government to provide input on the innovation needed to strengthen the industrial sector for the future. Input gathered at the workshop directly informed DOE's upcoming report, Transformative Pathways for U.S. Industry: Unlocking American Innovation.
- Appointed and Convened 17 Science, Business, Academic, and Industry Leaders to the Industrial Technology Innovation Advisory Committee. Members are evaluating and helping DOE develop its industrial technologies innovation strategy.
- Convened Industry Thought Leaders at Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit. IEDO hosted an annual summit bringing together 800 industry experts and market leaders to discuss emerging technologies and share innovative strategies in energy efficiency, water, and waste reduction.
- Hosted Scaling Sustainable Chemistry Event. IEDO partnered with Change Chemistry to connect thought leaders from diverse backgrounds to address the opportunities and challenges associated with bringing sustainable chemistry to scale in the U.S. economy. Discussions focused on how DOE can work with partners to accelerate innovation within this $633 billion industry, supporting American communities surrounding chemical manufacturing facilities and the 550,000 workers these facilities employ.
- Convened Industry, Researchers, and Government Stakeholders at the LBNL Data Center Load Flexibility Workshop. With opening presentations from DOE, Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory (LBNL), Dominion Power, MagaWatt Consulting, and Google, LBNL and IEDO hosted a first-of-kind workshop to discuss Data Center Load Flexibility. Forty-nine attendees—including hyperscalers, data center industry, utilities, regulators and more—participated and contributed to this discussion, which ranged from onsite energy solutions to innovative rate structures.
Want to hear more about IEDO’s 2024 milestones and how we’re charting the course for a thriving industrial future? Watch this virtual webinar hosted by IEDO Director Avi Shultz featuring industry partners and a preview of our newest vision study.
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Industrial Innovation News
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Projects will drive industrial energy use and emissions down while increasing America’s manufacturing competitiveness in global markets -
Projects will drive industrial emissions down while increasing America’s manufacturing competitiveness in global markets. -
The Industrial Sustainability, Energy Efficiency, and Decarbonization (ISEED) Collaborative will provide assistance to partners across the manufacturing sector to develop and disseminate instructional curricula and training programs. -
On Sept. 3, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy announced awards totaling $142 million for small businesses in 34 states. This investment includes $3.4 million for three projects funded by the Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office. -
DOE announced approximately $15M to address adoption challenges preventing later stage commercialization, demonstration, and deployment of industrial decarbonization technologies
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U.S. national laboratories can receive up to $9 million through an upcoming competitive lab call to develop and lead a Cement and Concrete Center of Excellence to accelerate the development and adoption of novel low-carbon cement and concrete technologies -
In the latest round of cohorts in its Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP), 33 innovators will be embedded across four U.S. national laboratories to work with an extensive network of mentors and experts. -
The Framing the Future: Industrial Technologies Photo Contest will award $27,000 for the best photos of the innovative technologies, processes, and people that will help the United States achieve a decarbonized industrial sector. -
This request for information seeks to gain strategic and technical feedback on decarbonizing America’s industrial sector and positioning the United States as a leader in the global clean energy economy -
DOE today announced its intent to issue multiple funding opportunity announcements totaling over $100 million for field demonstrations and other research to support better planning and operation of the electric grid.