Berkeley Lab has experience assessing the energy savings, carbon dioxide emissions, costs, and cost savings associated with emerging industrial energy-efficiency technologies. In 2000, Berkeley Lab, in collaboration with staff of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, evaluated 54 such technologies for industries as diverse as food processing, petroleum refining, and electronics manufacturing as well as technologies that could be applied in a variety of industrial sectors. This report -- Emerging Energy-Efficient Industrial Technologies -- relied on independent case studies and assessments of the technologies (vs. claims made by the product manufacturers) and quantified the savings using common measures so that technologies could be compared. In addition, other benefits of the technologies, such as reduced air emissions, reductions in waste streams, productivity improvements from reduced down-time required for operation and maintenance, reduced operation and maintenance costs, increased yield, product quality improvements, and safety benefits were also noted. Recommended next steps, such as demonstration projects, field testing, or further research and development, were provided for each technology.

Since the issuance of this report, Berkeley Lab has continued to assess emerging technologies as a component of its ENERGY STAR® Industry reports (please link to previous Publications page), in the food processing industry for the on-going State Technology Advancement Collaborative's Food Industry Resource Efficiency project, and recently provided information to the National Commission on Energy Policy on a few key emerging energy-efficient technologies for the industrial sector.