Pumpkin 🎃 to Talk About: Celebrating Manufacturing Day and IEDO’s First Anniversary

On October 6, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) celebrated National Manufacturing Day—a day to recognize American workers and the manufacturing sector that is the backbone of our economy. October also marks an important milestone for the Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO). It’s been one year since the legacy Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) reorganized into two separate offices with separate but aligned missions: IEDO and our sister office, the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO).

We’ve accomplished a lot this year—from hiring new staff, including a new Director, to funding transformative projects that will help us make significant progress toward our industrial decarbonization goals.

Recent News & Funding Opportunities

• Biden-Harris Administration Announces $5 Million to Support Cleaner Domestic Manufacturing
• Biden-Harris Administration Announces $22 Million to Support Smart Manufacturing at Small- and Medium-sized Facilities Across the Nation
• U.S. Department of Energy Reports Identify Transformative Opportunities for Widescale Clean Energy Deployment
• Abhishek Roy's Research Is Insane in the Membrane | News | NREL

Research Highlights & Project Updates

DOE Hosts Industrial Heat Shot Summit On Monday, October 23, DOE hosted the Industrial Heat Shot™ Summit. This virtual event gathered stakeholders across government, industry, and academia to engage on the objectives, progress, priorities, and future plans for the DOE Industrial Heat Shot™. The Industrial Heat Shot™ aims to develop cost-competitive industrial heat decarbonization technologies with at least 85% lower greenhouse gas emissions by 2035. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk both spoke at the event, along with John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation; Senator Peter Welch of Vermont; Representative Jim Baird of Indiana; Representative Sean Casten of Illinois; and Representative Paul Tonko of New York. Stay tuned for a recording of the full Summit!

DOE Announces $78 Million to Decarbonize Chemicals Manufacturing and Advance Cross-Sector Technologies 

During the Industrial Heat Shot Summit™, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm announced renewed funding for the Rapid Advancement in Process Intensification Deployment (RAPID) Institute — one of DOE’s seven Manufacturing USA Institutes. The 5-year, $40 million investment will propel research, development, and demonstrations (RD&D) of advanced process technologies to enable more resilient, lower cost, and reduced energy and carbon footprint manufacturing in the process industries. This includes the production of chemicals and fuels, which account for more than a third of all U.S. industrial emissions and energy consumption.  

Additionally, Deputy Secretary Turk announced a Notice of Intent (NOI) to release a funding opportunity for $38 million to develop transformational cross-sector technologies that will reduce energy use and GHG emissions across our nation’s industrial sector. Topics of the IEDO-funded opportunity will include electrification of industrial heat, next-generation energy systems, and decarbonizing organic wastewater and wet waste treatment.

Water, Energy, and the Future of Farming

To help decarbonize American agriculture, IEDO is investing $2.5 million to support the deployment of technologies and innovative business models in the promising area of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). CEA can supplement our current food production by producing local food concentrated in a greenhouse or other indoor facility, thereby using less land and water than traditional outdoor fields. Led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the new two-year CEA accelerator program will analyze the technical, economic, and social benefits of efficient operations of CEA and explore the smart manufacturing tools and processes that can translate to the high-tech indoor farming space.

Department of Energy Releases Supply Chains Progress Report

In August, DOE published an overview of the advances made by the Department to establish and safeguard supply chains that support the American clean energy industries, which is essential for achieving the country’s economic and climate goals. The report is a follow up to “America’s Strategy to Secure the Supply Chain for a Robust Clean Energy Transition,” released in February of 2022, which outlines the first comprehensive plan to build the U.S. Energy Sector Industrial Base (ESIB) that will be required to support the rapidly accelerating transition to clean energy.

We’re Hiring: Join the IEDO Team

Fellowship Opportunities IEDO is seeking talented and passionate Fellows interested in supporting technical, programmatic, strategic, and policy efforts aimed at decarbonizing the industrial sector. Fellows will collaborate closely with IEDO staff—including several former Fellows—and will develop a broad understanding of the potential of new technologies and current barriers to technology deployment across all of IEDO’s subprograms. Check out these other open opportunities: Cross-Sector Industrial Decarbonization Technologies Technology Manager Technology Manager for Technical Assistance and Workforce Development Technology Manager for Cement and Concrete Senior Technology Manager for Iron, Steel, Aluminum, and Other Metals

In Case You Missed It: DOE Industrial Technologies Website

Looking for DOE-wide news, technical assistance, and funding opportunities related to industrial decarbonization? Visit the DOE Industrial Technologies site