The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Industrial Technology Validation (ITV) rigorously evaluates the performance of emerging technologies in industrial environments to explore their viability in real-world conditions. These efforts accelerate the development and adoption of transformational technologies that optimize industrial processes, increase industrial productivity, and strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. industry in global markets.
The ITV program welcomes participation from all industrial host sites and technology developers that seek to evaluate emerging technologies in their plants, that enhance productivity, reduce costs, and/or improve operational performance. By sharing field validation results through publicly available reports, the ITV program helps move innovative technologies out of the laboratory and into the market, positioning the United States as a global leader in industrial advancement.
Click here to learn more and to apply to the open solicitation.
ITV Validation Library
Participate in the ITV Program
About the ITV Program
Emerging Technologies Support the Industrial Sector in Reducing Costs and Enhancing Competitiveness
The industrial sector is the backbone of America’s economy, and its innovation provides the U.S. with a critical opportunity to grow our manufacturing workforce, sharpening our competitive edge and national security. Emerging technologies play a critical role in achieving our nation’s energy goals, but the risks associated with installing and objectively validating emerging technologies in industrial environments can often impede adoption. Supporting the acceleration of demonstration projects can catalyze and de-risk private sector investments by validating technical and economic feasibility of new technologies, leading to market adoption.
Optimizing productivity is essential for maintaining global leadership in the U.S. manufacturing sector, which accounts for more than 11%[1] of the nation's total economic output but accrues $200 billion[2] in annual energy expenditures. The adoption of emerging technologies that increase productivity is vital for achieving national energy and security objectives and plays a key role in positioning the U.S. as a leader in industrial innovations. By leveraging the resources and support offered through programs like the Industrial Technology Validation (ITV) program, manufacturers can effectively navigate the path to technological advancement and improved operational performances.
[1] "Energy Use in Industry," U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020. Use of energy in industry - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
[2] "Annual Energy Outlook 2015," U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Energy Information Administration Annual Energy Outlook 2015 with Projections to 2040, 2015-TN4585
Why Participate?
ITV requires two organizations to team up and apply jointly to participate: a technology developer and a host site. Technology developers provide the equipment or technology to be tested. Host sites provide the facility where the installation will occur, manage the installation, and provide performance data from both the existing baseline system and the newly installed technology. Participating in the program has several benefits for each party:
Technology Developers
- Improve market credibility with unbiased performance results from DOE National Laboratory staff
- Gain insights to drive product development and commercialization
- Mitigate risk for future partners
Host Sites
- Understand the performance and risks of emerging technologies before deploying them at scale across your portfolio
- Gain a competitive edge and optimize operations
- Offset the cost of operational improvements
By participating in ITV, you are also helping to accelerate the adoption of innovative technologies across the United States. Technology validation findings are published to provide transparency and address information gaps for private-sector investors, helping them make better-informed decisions. Validation results also increased market acceptance of emerging technologies by providing trusted, unbiased performance results about their performance in real-world applications.
What Technologies Are Eligible?
ITV is designed to identify and prioritize emerging and underutilized technologies with significant performance improvement and potential for widespread adoption. Specifically, the program seeks technologies that are:
- Pre-commercial
- Early commercial
- Being validated in new sectors, or
- Commercialized, but underutilized in the United States
This includes technologies with cross-sector applicability (e.g., industrial A.I., load flexibility, membrane separations, water supply/treatment) as well as technologies relevant to a specific energy-intensive industrial sector (e.g., iron & steel, cement, chemicals, forest products, food & beverage, data centers).
A wide range of technologies may be eligible, but technologies must benefit operations, optimize performance, or improve competitiveness in some way. For example, technologies that optimize energy utilization or reduce water use, reduce wastewater effluent, or decrease waste creation to lower operational costs. Technologies that otherwise reduce costs, increase productivity, or improve product value or quality will also be considered. Technologies should demonstrate a notable improvement compared to incumbent technologies or processes. For more details on technology eligibility and to apply, visit the solicitation opportunity page here.