Electrification in Industry

Recent developments

The proposal for Subtask 3 – Electrifying Industry: A Unified Perspective on developments, impacts, and defossilization  – was approved by the IETS ExCo in May 2024.

The Subtask will start early 2025. Contact Task Manager Jonathan Moncada for more information.

The main objective of Subtask 3 is:

• To establish a platform designed for the exchange of information, experiences, and lessons learned from research and development projects in the field of industrial electrification. This subtask encompasses a range of aspects within industrial electrification, including both direct and indirect electrification, process integration, the design for flexibility in industrial systems, and the assessment of electrification relative to other strategies for decarbonization and defossilization.

To fulfill the main objective, the sub-objectives are:

• To identify advancements in industrial electrification technologies in participant countries and create a repository of these projects.
• To develop a holistic view of major industrial electrification installations globally and discern adoption patterns in industrial settings.
• To analyze case studies on the development and implementation of industrial electrification technologies in current projects.
• To increase awareness and knowledge about the system impacts of industrial electrification, focusing on process integration and flexibility.
• To enhance understanding of the challenges and opportunities of industrial electrification in the context of other defossilization measures.
• To organize international meetings for Subtask participants to share experiences, methodologies, and project findings.

Previous Scope and Work

Subtask 2, 2022-2023

The Final Report from Subtask 2, Enabling a Shared View on System Aspects of Industrial Electrification, was approved by ExCo in March 2024.

The objective of Subtask 2 was to build and strengthen the international ecosystem of industrial electrification with a focus on system impacts. It will facilitate exchange of knowledge and lessons learned, increase awareness and international collaboration. It also entails taking stock of technologies for electrification of industry, sharing and aligning insight and methodologies, identify best practices, broaden awareness by facilitating sharing.

Subtask 1, 2019-2021

The Final Report from Subtask 1 – Mapping of activities, scoping and formulation of multiyear collaboration plan was approved by the IETS ExCo at the 32nd ExCo meeting in May 2021.

The objectives of Subtask 1 were:

• to enhance international collaboration in the field of industrial electrification, and to set up and sustain a platform within IEA for sharing experiences and findings in R&D projects in the long term.
• to improve the awareness of the topic of industrial electrification in participating and other IETS countries in course of identifying partners in participating and other IETS countries.
• to identify and clarify areas of joint interest for further cooperation, in order to focus the subtasks and contents of a subsequent Task 2 and help to define annex and task leadership within that Task 2.
• to elaborate a basic overview on ongoing activities, roadmaps, and areas of common interest.

Task Managers: Andrea Ramirez and Jonathan Moncada Botero, TU Delft