Cross-Sector Technologies

Process heating, or thermal processing, is essential to manufacture a wide variety of industrial and consumer products. Yet, process heating represents the largest energy use in the manufacturing sector, accounting for 1/3 of the sector's total energy use in 2018. 

Direct energy use for process heating in the manufacturing sector includes fuel combustion (66%), steam (30%), and electricity (4%). When the fuel used to generate steam and electricity is considered, at least 90% of energy used for process heat is derived from combustion. The Thermal Process Intensification Workshop Report highlights the significant opportunities across several industries to improve the efficiency of thermal processing. Learn more about decarbonization of process heating.

The U.S. industrial sector heavily relies on fuel combustion to provide heat for many operations, including direct firing in furnaces to melt materials such as metals, in kilns to calcine limestone, in boilers to produce steam, and many others. While primarily sourced from a limited number of existing fuels, availability for a broader range of less common fuels such as hydrogen is growing.

Feedstocks are the materials that are put into an industrial process and converted to a higher value product. Some sectors use carbon-rich materials such as natural gas as an industrial feedstock, while other sectors use feedstocks that require significant amounts of energy to produce. Developing technologies that can use alternative feedstocks or feedstocks that require less energy to produce can reduce pollution and increase energy efficiency. Learn more about low carbon fuels, feedstocks, and energy sources.

Water is used in all phases of energy production, from helping to generate electricity by keeping power plants cool to enabling the reliable use of energy sources like hydropower, geothermal, and bioenergy. Water is also a key component of many essential industrial processes. 

Water systems consume energy to pump water from aquifers, desalinate groundwater, process sludge during wastewater treatment, and distribute water. Nontraditional water sources have more impurities that must be removed before they're fit for use, requiring more energy than traditional sources such as groundwater and surface water. RD&D into energy efficient water and wastewater management can help expand access to water resources. Learn more about water and energy RD&D.

Innovative energy efficient industrial technologies require less energy to perform the same or similar function as current technologies. IEDO supports the RD&D of technologies that reduce primary energy demand and minimize losses.

While energy losses cannot be brought to zero, limiting losses and reducing final energy demand are important pathways to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and make U.S. industry more competitive. Learn more about energy efficiency technologies.