Industry is often termed “hard to decarbonize” because a vast, inhomogeneous array of processes comprise the sector. But developing new, decarbonized process heating technologies represents a single, broadly applicable pathway to eliminating a large portion of sectoral emissions—and approximately one-fifth of global CO₂ emissions, overall. We begin this perspective with a brief review of the demand for and cost of industrial heat. Then, we highlight key challenges and R&D needs in developing zero-carbon industrial heating technologies. Technologies in four pathways are discussed: (1) zero-carbon fuels, (2) zero-carbon heat sources, (3) electrification of heat, and (4) better heat management. Finally, we identify cross-cutting challenges to the development and adoption of zero-carbon industrial heat technologies, the solution to any of which would constitute a significant breakthrough on the path to industrial decarbonization.

该行业通常被称为“难以脱碳”，因为该行业包含大量，不均匀的过程。但是，开发新的脱碳过程加热技术代表了一条广泛应用的途径，可消除大部分行业排放，约占全球CO ₂的五分之一整体排放。我们首先简要回顾一下工业供热的需求和成本，以此开始这一观点。然后，我们重点介绍了开发零碳工业供暖技术时面临的主要挑战和研发需求。讨论了四个途径中的技术：（1）零碳燃料，（2）零碳热源，（3）热量电气化和（4）更好的热量管理。最后，我们确定了零碳工业供热技术的开发和采用面临的跨领域挑战，对其中任何一种的解决方案都将构成工业脱碳道路上的重大突破。