Sustainability Weekly
Fridays are for…
Heavy Industry Decarbonization, Electric Trucks, Agrivoltaics, E-bikes, and more!
by Alli DiGiacomo
Happy Friday and last weekend of March! The biggest news this week marks arguably the most important thing that has ever happened in industrial decarbonization. On Monday, the Biden administration announced over $6 billion in grants to industrial decarbonization projects in sectors ranging from cement to glass, metals, and chemicals. The money will go to early-stage or first-of-a-kind projects in these so-called “difficult to decarbonize” industries and is expected to leverage a further $14 billion in private capital. I know there has been a lot of announcements coming out of DOE lately regarding funding with the IRA and they can start to blend together, but this is extremely important and unprecedented, and a big deal especially for the AEC industry! Read more on this below, but also check out this podcast for a more in-depth analysis.
Keep reading for more of this week’s sustainability news!
T H I S W E E K ’ S T O P S T O R I E S
BIDEN ADMIN INVESTS $6B TO CUT CARBON FROM STEEL, CEMENT, & HEAVY INDUSTRY
The Department of Energy (DOE) has selected 33 demonstration projects across more than 20 states to receive $6 billion in funding. These projects aim to electrify and decarbonize heavy industrial processes, including boilers, furnaces, and factories, which are responsible for about one-third of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions annually. The pathway to net zero is far less clear than it is for transportation or electricity. But with the expected additional $14 billion in private capital added, $20 billion is real money. This could help the US innovate and compete in the next generation of clean technologies rather than allowing China to dominate them.
The initiative addresses the challenges of decarbonizing heavy industry, which relies heavily on energy-intensive processes that are often difficult to power with electricity alone. By funding projects that transform these processes, the administration’s goal is to set new standards for clean manufacturing in the U.S. and globally. Key sectors targeted for decarbonization include cement and concrete, iron and steel, chemicals, refineries, aluminum, and metals manufacturing. Projects range from retiring blast furnaces and installing hydrogen-ready direct reduced iron plants to electrifying food production processes and implementing low-emissions furnaces in aluminum casting facilities. The selected projects were evaluated based on criteria such as deep-decarbonization targets, market viability, timely completion, and community benefits. Nearly 80 percent of the projects are located in disadvantaged communities affected by pollution and environmental injustices, aligning with the administration's focus on environmental justice and equity.
NEW POLLUTION RULES AIM TO LIFT SALES OF ELECTRIC TRUCKS
Another announcement made this week is the Biden administration’s new regulation aimed at significantly increasing the sales of electric and other zero-emission heavy vehicles, such as school buses and cement mixers. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) projects that by 2032, 25 percent of new long-haul trucks and 40 percent of medium-size trucks could be non-polluting, compared to fewer than 2 percent currently. The rule covers over 100 types of the heaviest polluting vehicles, including tractor-trailers, ambulances, and garbage trucks, and is part of a broader effort to combat climate change. Rather than mandating the sale of electric trucks, the regulation sets increasingly stringent limits on truck pollution over time, leaving it to manufacturers to decide how to comply. Options include hybrid technologies, hydrogen fuel cells, or improving the fuel efficiency of conventional trucks.
OHIO APPROVES MASSIVE SOLAR & STORAGE AGRIVOLTAICS PROJECT
A monumental $1 billion solar project, Oak Run, is approved to start construction in 2025 and set to become the largest in Ohio and the nation's largest agrivoltaics endeavor. Agrivoltaics is a practice that combines agricultural activities with solar energy production on the same area of land. Essentially, it involves installing solar panels above crops or grazing areas, allowing for dual land use and potentially increasing overall land productivity.
The project plans to span 6,000 acres in Madison County, featuring 800 MW of solar panels and 300 MW of energy storage. Developed by Savion, a unit of Shell, the project will provide power through batteries even during periods without sunlight. Despite its significance in advancing clean energy, the project faces strong local opposition over concerns with farmland use, rural character preservation and agricultural legacy of the region. Supporters highlight the economic benefits, including millions in annual revenue and thousands of jobs during construction and operation, on top of all the clean energy benefits.
MORE IN SUSTAINABILITY NEWS
Worth the read: A letter to Architecture from Landscape Architecture.
In New York City, heat pumps that fit in apartment windows promise big emissions cuts.
E-Bike tickets in Denver sold out in 3 minutes. Could New York and other cities follow a similar model?
Environmentalists sue to block expansion of New York State’s largest landfill.
West Coast whales have made a recovery, officially ending a nearly five-year “unusual mortality event.”
SUSTAINABLE TECH SPOTLIGHT: BIOCYCLER
Construction and demolition (C&D) waste account for at least 30% of waste produced globally. Biocycler is a product line by Redhouse Architecture, a Cleveland based architecture and research firm, that helps solve this by recycling C&D waste into new materials using mushrooms.
The new biomaterials are made using microorganisms that bind loose C&D waste at a cellular level. The materials are structural, insulative, fire resistant, and sound attenuating. When paired with a weather-proof barrier these natural materials can replace almost all the materials in standard construction at a fraction of the cost and with a lower embodied footprint. When the weather-proof barrier is removed the materials are fully biodegradable. C&D materials that can be recycled include all woody materials like plywood, osb, framing, etc. gypsum board, ceiling tiles, asphalt shingles, and other organic based materials.