(96e) The Challenges of Energy Transition

The United States has prioritized the decarbonization of industrial manufacturing as part of climate mitigation solutions. This sector consumes roughly one-third of the energy in the U.S., and contributes one-third of the Nation’s carbon emissions. Public-private partnerships focused on developing, demonstrating, and accelerating the adoption of next-generation, basic technologies and approaches for decarbonization need to be created. This will increase U.S. manufacturing competitiveness—and national prosperity—by delivering process innovations that are far more efficient and cost-effective while decreasing waste and emissions for manufactured products. The technological challenges and costs to realize the energy transition, however, are of a magnitude never seen before. We all need to work together to tackle this challenge.