Environmental Leader

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding more than $155 million in funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for 41 industrial energy-efficiency projects across the country. These awards include funding for industrial combined heat and power systems, district energy systems for industrial facilities, and grants to support technical and financial assistance to local industry.

Because the industrial sector uses more than 30 percent of U.S. energy and is responsible for nearly 30 percent of U.S. carbon emissions, these projects will make energy-efficiency technologies more widely available, helping to cut energy use and reduce carbon pollution in the industrial sector, according to the DOE.

The DOE announced nine projects, totaling approximately $150 million, which will be leveraged with $634 million in private industry cost share for a total project value of up to $785 million.

These projects will promote the use of combined heat and power, district energy systems, waste energy recovery systems, and energy-efficiency initiatives in hospitals, utilities, and industrial sites. Combined heat and power and district energy systems generate both the heat and power needed for industrial processes on-site, instead of using electricity from the grid, and can be nearly twice as efficient as conventional heat and power production, said the DOE.

The DOE estimates these projects will result in almost 14 trillion Btu in energy savings, which is equivalent to over 112 million gallons of gasoline per year.

The remaining 32 awards will provide local technical support for the industrial sector through university-based Industrial Assessment Centers, state agencies, regional partnerships, and a national technical assistance provider.

This funding will enable DOE’s Industrial Technologies Program to provide technical and financial support for local businesses and manufacturing facilities to save energy and reduce their energy costs, obtain financing, and save and create manufacturing and industrial sector jobs across the country.

Click here (PDF) for the complete list of award projects.