In the last installment of our three-part series on industrial decarbonization, we explore industrial sector decarbonization and the role electrification can play in achieving net zero goals for a stable climate. Host Sara Baldwin speaks with Blaine Collison of the Renewable Thermal Collaborative about the barriers to electrifying industrial heat processes in the U.S., and the policy, regulatory, and market changes that could put the country on track to electrify more industries.

Guest Bio:
Blaine Collison is the Executive Director of the Renewable Thermal Collaborative and the Senior Vice President at David Gardiner and Associates, where he helps companies and institutions advance renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate change initiatives, including industrial decarbonization. Previously he served as the managing director of marketing and partnerships at Altenex, an Edison Energy company, where he led the development of corporate sustainability services, communications, and strategic partnerships. He also served 17 years with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, with multiple roles in the Energy Star program and a decade leading the Green Power Partnership.

Electrifying News:

• The Race to Decarbonize Heavy Industry Heats Up (Inside Climate News, May 2024)
• Massachusetts kicks off first pilot to shift gas utilities to clean heat (Canary Media, June 2024)
• How heat pumps can turn wasted energy into low-carbon whisky (Canary Media, June 2024)

To dig in deeper, check out these must-read resources:

• Electrification Action Plan (Renewable Thermal Collaborative, 2024)
• Renewable Thermal Collaborative
• RTC Summit (Sept 30-Oct 1, 2024)

Transitioning the industrial sector to run on clean energy through electrification is a critical strategy to decarbonize one of our economy’s largest-emitting sectors. But electric utilities and the power grid must be able to meet increased demand from electrified industries. Effectively managing electrified load from industry requires new strategies and reliance on tried-and-true methods. This episode features Anna Johnson of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) to discuss industrial electrification and its implications for the grid, utilities, and states.

Guest Bios:
Anna Johnson is a Senior Researcher with the Industry Program for the ACEEE, where she conducts research and analysis to support industrial decarbonization efforts. Prior to joining ACEEE, Anna worked at the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, in the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program as a conservation planner and communication specialist. Anna earned a PhD in geography and environmental systems from University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and a BA in liberal arts from St. John’s College.

Electrifying News:

• Biden-Harris Administration Announces $20 Billion in Grants to Mobilize Private Capital and Deliver Clean Energy and Climate Solutions to Communities Across America (U.S. EPA)
• Consumers may soon get access to a share of $8.8 billion in Inflation Reduction Act home energy rebates (CNBC)
• Biden-Harris Administration finalized the strongest-ever pollution standards for cars that position U.S. companies and workers to lead the clean vehicle future, protect public health, address the climate crisis, save drivers money (U.S. EPA)
• New Regulations for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Commercial Trucks & Buses (U.S. EPA)
• Biden administration finalizes new rules for power plants in one of its most significant climate actions to-date (CNN)
• Biden-Harris Administration Announces $6 Billion to Transform America's Industrial Sector, Strengthen Domestic Manufacturing, and Slash Planet-Warming Emissions (U.S. DOE)

Must-read resources:

• Enabling Industrial Demand Flexibility: Aligning Industrial Consumer and Grid Benefits (ACEEE 2024)
• Electrification with Clean Power Is Key for a Growing, Competitive Industrial Sector (ACEEE 2024)
• Meeting Growing Electricity Demand Without Gas (Energy Innovation 2024)

Did you know that industrial activity around the world is responsible for one-third of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions? In the U.S. alone, direct emissions from the industrial sector make up 23% of our total GHG emissions. The industrial sector is also essential for producing the tools and products we need for our daily lives – from food and beverage products, textiles and paper, steel and concrete, and the technologies necessary to tackle climate change, like wind turbines and batteries. Yet, despite its importance to our economy and its omnipresence in our lives, efforts to reduce industrial emissions are lagging compared with other sectors.

This episode features a conversation with Jeffrey Rissman, the author of a new book, Zero-Carbon Industry: Transformative Technologies and Policies to Achieve Sustainable Prosperity. We explore the wide world of industry and the technologies, policies, and market mechanisms necessary to reduce the industrial sector’s emissions for a climate safe future. Join us for the first in a three-part series on the topic.

Guest Bio:

Jeffrey Rissman is the Senior Director of Industry at Energy Innovation, where he leads the company’s work on technologies and policies to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the industry sector. He is the author of Zero-Carbon Industry: Transformative Technologies and Policies to Achieve Sustainable Prosperity (2024) and coauthor of Designing Climate Solutions: A Policy Guide for Low-Carbon Energy (2018). In 2024, Jeffrey was appointed by Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm to serve on the Department of Energy’s Industrial Technology Innovation Advisory Committee.

Jeff is also the creator of the Energy Policy Simulator, an open-source computer model that quantifies the effects of various energy and environmental policies; versions of the simulator have been developed for an ever-growing list of countries and regions, in partnership with in-country government agencies or NGOs, accounting for more than 50 percent of the world’s emissions.

Previously, Jeff worked on policies supporting R&D for clean energy and efficiency technologies for the American Energy Innovation Council. He holds an M.S. in Environmental Sciences and Engineering and a Masters in City and Regional Planning, both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was a Research Fellow for the University of North Carolina Institute for the Environment, where he studied aircraft emissions for the Federal Aviation Administration. Jeff also holds a B.A. in International Relations with honors from Stanford University.

Order the book and get a 20% discount with code CUP20:

• Zero-Carbon Industry: Transformative Technologies and Policies to Achieve Sustainable Prosperity

To dig in deeper, check out these must-read resources:

• Designing Climate Solutions: A Policy Guide for Low-Carbon Energy
• Energy Innovation’s Industry Program
• Industrial Technology Innovation Advisory Committee
• Energy Policy Simulator