Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a Request for Information (RFI) that seeks input on the Barriers and Pathways to Integrating Onsite Clean Energy Technologies in the Industrial Sector. DOE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) is very interested in understanding how DOE can support the deployment of these critical decarbonization technologies.

Integration of onsite clean energy technologies will play a significant role in achieving President Biden’s goal of a 100% clean electrical grid by 2035 and net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. These technologies include—but are not limited to—solar photovoltaic, solar thermal, wind power, renewable fuels, geothermal, battery storage, and thermal storage.

The industrial sector is responsible for approximately 30% of energy-related GHG emissions, and energy use in this sector is projected to increase by 31% over the next 25 years. Accordingly, DOE’s industrial partners are incorporating onsite clean energy technologies into their corporate sustainability strategies to reduce GHG emissions and achieve renewable energy targets.

AMO is exploring ways to support these efforts. This RFI welcomes input on barriers and opportunities to integrate onsite clean energy and storage systems into the industrial sector. In particular, AMO would like feedback on:

  1. The current state of onsite clean energy technology use in the industrial sector
  2. Opportunities and barriers for onsite clean energy technology deployment
  3. Existing technical assistance and resources available for onsite clean energy projects
  4. Pathways to accelerate the adoption of onsite clean energy technologies
  5. Workforce development opportunities and equity considerations for programmatic planning

Feedback is welcome from end-users of onsite systems for details on the challenges they face, as well as from academia, research laboratories, state and local policymakers, utilities, regulators, government agencies, community-based organizations, and more.

Read the RFI and learn how to submit your feedback. Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to onsiteenergy@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00PM (ET) on September 23, 2022.