The products of chemistry save energy by improving energy efficiency in our homes, offices and factories and by making cars and packaging more lightweight. Chemistry innovations also enable the sustainable technologies that are revolutionizing the way we generate and store energy—solar cells, wind turbines, rechargeable batteries and more.
Chemistry Is Saving Energy:
- Building insulation saves up to 40 times the energy used to create it; plastic house wrap that creates a weather resistant barrier saves up to 360 times the energy used to produce it.
- Chemistry-driven plastic auto parts now make up 50 percent of the volume of today’s new cars, dramatically reducing vehicle weight to significantly improve gas mileage—by up to seven percent for each 10 percent in weight reduction—while playing a critical role in helping improve vehicle safety.
- Chemistry enables compact fluorescent bulbs to “fluoresce” and to use 70 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs—and LED lighting could cut global energy demand by a whopping 30 percent.
- Replacing an old refrigerator with a new ENERGY STAR-qualified model—with improved insulation and coolant systems made possible by chemistry—saves enough energy to light an average house for nearly four months.
- Strong yet lightweight plastic packaging allows more products to be shipped with less weight, lightening the load and saving energy from factory to home.
Chemistry Is Driving Clean Energy:
- Solar power relies on silicon-based chemistry, and innovative new plastic solar panels are poised to reach the mass residential market.
- Wind power turbine blades are made using plastics and chemical additives, helping deliver renewable energy to our nation’s electricity grid.
- Lithium-ion and lithium-polymer batteries employ chemistry to create rechargeable batteries for automobiles, military equipment, laptops, mobile phones, MP3 players, etc.
Chemistry Is Improving Sustainability:
- Since 1974, the business of chemistry has reduced energy consumption by more than half (based on unit per output), part of an ongoing commitment to sustainability.
- The business of chemistry develops the products that reduce greenhouse gas emissions for consumers and manufacturing facilities alike. For every ton of CO2 emitted in manufacturing the products of chemistry, two tons of CO2 emissions are saved.
Policies to Strengthen America's Energy Position
To meet our nation’s economic and environmental goals, ACC supports an “all of the above” energy strategy that takes timely advantage of America’s own energy resources—conventional and shale natural gas, oil, wind, nuclear, solar, etc.—to diversify energy supply and power our economy. A comprehensive energy policy must also promote energy efficiency and alternative and renewable sources such as energy recovery.
Three energy sources—
domestic natural gas from shale formations,
energy efficiency and
energy recovery from plastics—can help America reach energy security and environmental goals. At the same time, these energy sources will promote growth in America’s chemistry industry and create opportunity for a broad range of industries, while driving the creation of new jobs.
Learn more about policies that can help American chemistry continue innovating,
creating jobs and
enhancing safety.