Chemistry is Key to Conservation
We can’t always see it. We can’t always touch it. But just take a look at the world around us—It’s everywhere. Energy: The fuels, substances, gases and currents that animate and illuminate nearly every portion of our world. But as we’ve learned on the past decades, even energy has its limits. And the business of chemistry is creating energy conservation solutions, playing a key role in creating energy efficiency processes and products—saving money and helping to protect the environment.
Chemistry and Energy Efficiency
The oil crises of the 1970s sparked a series of energy-efficiency research initiatives and improvements within the business of chemistry that persist today. In fact, since 1974, the chemical industry has reduced its fuel and power energy consumption per unit of output by an outstanding 43 percent.
One method in which the industry is advancing energy efficiency is through the use of cogeneration—the simultaneous generation of electricity and heat from a facility that is located near the manufacturing site. Since most cogeneration facilities use natural gas, they are much more efficient than the older coal burning electric utilities. These efficiencies are boosted by the fact that the power generation is located physically close to the power consumption, thus avoiding transmission losses associated with consumption of power generated many miles away by large electric utilities.
Today, nearly a third of all cogeneration used in manufacturing is conducted by the business of chemistry.
Energy Efficient Homes
The chemistry industry has also taken steps toward expanding the use of energy efficiency methods by helping homeowners implement their own conservation efforts. This gives everyday Americans the opportunity to reduce energy use at home while boosting the amount of money in their pockets.
We often turn on our heaters and air conditioners without a second thought, secure in the knowledge that—despite the weather—modern technology will keep us comfortable. But heating and cooling can get expensive. Common building products such as wood, brick or stucco do not completely prevent air and water from seeping into the home, making it harder to regulate temperatures. In fact, nearly 40 percent of a home's energy loss is the result of air infiltration caused by wind pressure from the outside.
This is when chemistry comes to the rescue in the form of linear polyethylene, the insulation material used to wrap around houses as they are being built to combat water, moisture and air damage. Insulations such as house-wrap and other materials, double-paned windows and efficient ventilation systems, are all produced through innovations in chemistry—reducing heating costs and creating comfortable space.
Energy Feedstocks and the Business of Chemistry
The business of chemistry uses energy resources in two distinct ways. Like most other industries, it taps oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids to power its plants and manufacturing processes. Equally important is the fact that chemistry also uses those same energy resources as feedstocks—raw materials that are converted into products. Much like a furniture maker turns timber into a table, the business of chemistry turns energy into products used to make cars, computers, clothing and myriad other items.
Using energy resources to make products—instead of fuel—has also contributed to improved energy efficiency in the United States. For instance, refrigerators and other appliances are far more energy efficient today than a generation ago. This is largely due to insulation materials, made from chemicals derived from oil and gas, which have dramatically reduced the amount of electricity needed to run them. The same is true for automobiles. Body parts and engine equipment made from chemicals derived from oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids make today's cars lighter, stronger and more durable than their predecessors.
With profits from energy-based raw materials exceeding $200 billion annually, no other segment of the economy adds value to energy products like the business of chemistry.