Electrifying Industrial Heat Could Save Lives, Cut Emissions, Create Jobs, Reports Find

Industrial heat has been one of the toughest parts of the economy to decarbonize, but new reports show that electrifying it could deliver major health and economic benefits. In the United States, replacing 33,500 fossil-fuelled boilers in factories with electric heat pumps could avoid 77,200 premature deaths by 2050, according to new research.

The American Lung Association says transitioning the U.S. off combustion boilers used in manufacturing everyday goods like food and textiles could yield “staggering benefits in terms of avoided health emergencies and deaths, and more than US$1 trillion in cumulative public health benefits through the year 2050.”

“A lot of people may not think about the role of industrial manufacturing in local air pollution, or in terms of climate change, but it can be a significant factor and cause real health harms,” Will Barrett, the association’s assistant vice president for nationwide clean air policy, told Grist.

“By shifting to zero-emissions technologies that aren’t burning fuel—but they’re producing the same heat, steam, and boiling water that’s needed to fulfill these manufacturing needs—we can see these massive public health benefits.”

As of 2020, the U.S. was using 33,528 combustion-based boilers for low- and medium-temperature processes under 200°C, manufacturing everyday consumer goods and raw materials. Replacing them with heat pumps could avoid 1.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050—pollution otherwise linked to 77,200 premature deaths, 33 million asthma attacks, and more than 200,000 new asthma cases.

Switching would also prevent $1.1 trillion in health costs and $351 billion in climate damages, the report adds.

In Europe, studies suggest that cleaning up industrial process heat—described as having “enormous potential” to help the sector meet climate targets—could also bring major economic benefits.

A recent report from think tank Agora Industry finds that electrified heat can provide 90% of the European Union’s still-unelectrified industrial energy demand by 2035, while a separate report from German economic research company Prognos considered how such a shift could affect employment and value creation.

Prognos found that swapping in renewable energy sources for fossil fuels in industrial process heat— used in producing goods like chemicals, steel, and paper—would create thousands of jobs and add significant value.

Data showed that the number of employees in Germany’s green process heat sector—from those who develop and produce heating systems to those who consult with customers and install them—had increased to 60,000 in 2023, up 70% from 2010, for a gross added value of €5.5 billion (C$8.9 billion) in 2023. Future projections suggest the sector could employ 270,000 people by 2030 and grow to over a million by mid-century. Its gross added value could reach €25 billion by the end of the decade and €91 billion (C$147 billion) by 2050.

“The market for clean industrial process heat is developing into one of Germany’s most dynamic green tech segments, with enormous potential for employment, exports, and climate action,” wrote energy efficiency industry alliance DENEFF, which commissioned the report.

Cover photo:  Dfpearson/wikimedia commons