The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected Arizona State University to lead the seventh Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute. The Electrified Processes for Industry without Carbon (EPIXC) Institute will mobilize a coalition of private companies, National Labs, universities, labor unions, and community partners and will allocate up to $70 million in federal funding over the next five years* for research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects to electrify process heating and decarbonize the industrial sector.

The industrial sector is responsible for more than 30% of the country’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To achieve deep decarbonization, industries must work together to find solutions that span the entire industrial sector, DOE said.

EPIXC partners represent a wide variety of industries and include researchers, equipment manufacturers, and technology implementers. This multisector coalition will bridge the gap between research and commercialization to move novel electrification processes out of the lab and into the market.

Heat is essential to manufacturing and is used to remove moisture, create steam, separate chemicals, treat metals, melt plastics, and much more. However, process heat—the thermal energy used to prepare materials and produce manufactured goods—consumes more energy and produces more carbon emissions than any other type of operation in the industrial sector.

By transitioning to electrified and low-carbon fuel and energy sources, industries can reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency through technologies such as induction heating, heat pumps, and microwave systems.

In support of the decarbonization goals outlined in the 2022 Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap and the Industrial Heat Shot, EPIXC will accelerate the development and adoption of electrified processes that can cost-effectively lower emissions and enhance energy efficiency of industrial process heating. EPIXC will also address the challenge of integrating these new processes into existing facilities designed around conventional heating technologies.

EPIXC is funded through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office.