DOE Launches New Energy Earthshot to Decarbonize Transportation and Industrial Sectors

Last week, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the launch of the Clean Fuels & Products Shot™. This new initiative is the seventh DOE Energy Earthshot to support the reduction of carbon emissions from the fuel and chemical industry. The Clean Fuels & Products Shot™ aims to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from carbon-based fuels and products critical to our way of life, and it “supports the national goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 by developing sustainable feedstocks and conversion technologies necessary to produce crucial fuels, materials, and carbon-based products that are better for the environment than current petroleum-derived components.”

“This effort aligns with the interagency Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge, as well as DOE’s broader Energy EarthshotsTM portfolio, leveraging breakthroughs in critical energy technologies from the Carbon Negative ShotTM, the Hydrogen Shot TM, and the Industrial Heat Shot TM. The Shot also advances goals within the Justice40 Initiative, White House Executive Order 13985, and White House Executive Order 14091 to ensure the benefits of the clean energy economy reach all U.S. communities.”

The announcement coincided with the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the $15 million, 3-year-long upgrade to the Biofuels National User Facility at Idaho National Laboratory. Funded by the DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office, this facility is a crucial asset for the Clean Fuels & Products Shot™ initiative. It is designed to solve critical biofuel production challenges associated with feeding, handling, and preprocessing diverse biomass and waste materials.