From COP 27 to Corporations: Electrifying Industry to Meet U.S. Climate Goals

At the COP27 Climate Change Conference, governments representing more half of the global economy announced an action plan to speed the decarbonization of power, road transport, steel, hydrogen, and agriculture. The U.S., Canada, Germany, Japan, and other nations backed a set of 25 "Priority Actions" to decarbonize industry, including scaled deployment of net-zero industrial plants and stimulating global demand for low-carbon industrial goods.

So, what does that COP27 agreement mean for industrial stakeholders? The U.S. industrial sector is ripe for innovation and exciting electrification advancements are paving the way toward decarbonization. This episode discusses industrial heating innovations and outlines why the time is right for industrial corporations to implement the technologies that reduce emissions at scale.

Guest Bios:
Jeffrey Rissman is the Director of Industry with Energy Innovation. Jeff leads the organization’s work on technologies and policies to achieve net-zero GHG emissions from the industrial sector. He is also the creator of the Energy Policy Simulator, a computer model quantifying cost and emissions impacts of various clean energy policies. Jeff holds an M.S. in Environmental Sciences and Engineering and a Masters in City and Regional Planning from UNC Chapel Hill, and a B.A. in International Relations with honors from Stanford University.

Jibran Zuberi is a Research Scholar with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He has an engineering background and research experience of working on topics related to industrial energy efficiency, integrated energy systems, and emissions reduction. His current research focuses on developing decarbonization strategies for industrial systems, understanding emerging technologies, and RD&D opportunities. He was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute for Environmental Sciences at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. 

To Dig in Deeper, Check out these Must-Read Resources:

• Electrification of U.S. Manufacturing With Industrial Heat Pumps, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Global Efficiency Intelligence (Nov 2022) 
• Decarbonizing Low-Temperature Industrial Heat in the U.S., Energy Innovation (Oct 2022)
• Energy Policy Simulator, Energy Innovation 
• COP 27 Climate Change Conference https://unfccc.int and The Breakthrough Agenda: A Master Plan to Accelerate Decarbonization of Five Major Sectors 
• U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Manufacturing & Industrial Decarbonization Offices