Energy Innovation says its free tool, the Industrial Zero Emissions Calculator (IZEC), helps create roadmaps for eliminating industrial emissions while avoiding potential roadblocks. Energy Innovation Policy & Technology is a non-partisan energy and climate policy think tank. They say that IZEC allows policymakers to assess the resource demands of various decarbonization strategies. In addition, they published a report that outlines the tool’s assumptions and key findings for the U.S.
The tool demonstrates the challenges of overreliance on certain technologies for industrial decarbonization. Using green hydrogen alone would triple U.S. electricity demand, while bioenergy could require over 21% of U.S. agricultural land. Carbon capture would need over $3 trillion in investments, excluding energy costs. The IZEC finds that focusing on direct electrification, supplemented by bioenergy, clean hydrogen, and carbon capture, could eliminate U.S. industrial emissions within 30 years with a manageable increase in electricity demand. Emerging technologies, like industrial thermal batteries, could optimize energy use from renewable sources.
The tool allows users to model various decarbonization strategies, revealing that a balanced approach, incorporating different technologies where they are most effective, is key to achieving industrial climate goals.
- Industrial Zero Emissions Calculator (IZEC), Energy Innovation, USA, 2024. (accessed August 21, 2024)
- Industrial Zero Emissions Calculator Report, Energy Innovation, USA, 2024. (accessed August 21, 2024)
