More U.S. manufacturers are using electric heat to make things. Here’s a map
Industrial applications requiring heat account for 20 percent global greenhouse emissions. Read More
More than 50 installed or planned U.S. manufacturing sites are using industrial heat pumps and thermal energy — rather than gas or coal — to electrify aspects of their production, according to an analysis by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The technology is even more popular in other countries, the nonprofit said.
The sites are mainly concentrated in the Midwest and Northeast, but there’s more activity brewing in the Pacific Northwest, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, where the delta between gas and electricity prices is narrow or where policies address higher electricity costs. State incentives that cover the capital expense of the equipment have also made California a hot spot, according to ACEEE.
Industrial electrification is appealing in sectors that use low or medium temperatures to make things, particularly food and beverage manufacturing and pulp and paper production. Many installations combine waste-heat recovery and thermal batteries (which enable load shifting) with heat pumps. Some common applications:
- Lumber and food drying
- Dairy and food processing
- Cleaning manufacturing equipment with hot water
Two notable projects are Procter & Gamble’s pulp and paper facility in Ventura County, California; and the Stratus Family Creamery in Rohnert Park, California, where an industrial heat pump will power both boilers and refrigerators.
In addition, Nestlé is using an industrial heat pump for dairy pasteurization in Glendale, Arizona. Nestlé, the world’s biggest food company, has also installed industrial heat pumps in Spain and Switzerland. These installations have cut greenhouse emissions at those sites by 1,000 to 1,750 metric tons annually.
The industrial sector accounts for about one-third of global greenhouse emissions, with two-thirds of that coming from heating applications, according to research from McKinsey.
More than 85 percent of industrial applications that require heat are fueled by gas, coal and oil boilers. Industrial heat pumps, which can provide heat of up to 200 degrees Celsius, account for about 5 percent of industrial heat applications. The market for this technology is predicted to grow by 15 percent annually through 2030, with France, Germany, the Nordics, Poland and the U.K. leading adoption.
“Industrial heat pumps offer a compelling solution for industries looking to optimize their energy usage, reduce their costs and dependence on fossil fuels, comply with environmental regulations and enhance their overall operational efficiency,” McKinsey noted.
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