Dow Energy - Track Record

 

Dow is one of the nation’s largest industrial consumers of energy. The Company’s energy and raw material costs have been rising every year from $8 billion in 2002 to $27 billion in 2008. At the same time, Dow is also one of the biggest producers in the world of products that reduce energy use, and is widely recognized as a leader in conservation and energy efficiency. As a result, we recognize the importance of energy efficiency and conservation, as well as the need to develop alternative and renewable energy solutions.

2015 Sustainability Goals

In 1994, Dow set a 10-year goal to reduce our energy intensity by 20 percent.  We exceeded that goal, driving down our energy intensity (BTU per pound of product) by 22 percent, resulting in energy savings of $5 billion.  Since that time, Dow has accumulated 1,600 trillion BTUs in energy savings, which is equivalent to the electricity needed to power all the residential homes in California for one year. 

For our 2015 Sustainability Goals, we have committed to the following:

• Reduce our energy intensity by 25 percent from 2005 to 2015
• Reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity by 2.5 percent per year from 2005 to 2015 

For a report on our progress, please read our latest Sustainability Goals Update (688KB PDF)

Making a Difference

Dow operates at the nexus between energy and all the manufacturing that occurs in the world today. Over 90 percent of the products made have some level of chemistry in them. No one has more at stake in the solution - or more of an ability to have an impact on - the overlapping issues of energy supply and use than we do.

• Polyethylene From Sugar Cane Ethanol

Dow is planning to build the first integrated, world-scale facility to manufacture polyethylene from ethanol derived from sugar cane. The new facility will use ethanol derived from sugar cane, an annually renewable resource, to produce ethylene – the raw material required to make polyethylene, the world’s most widely-used plastic. Ethylene is traditionally produced using either naphtha or natural gas liquids, both of which are petroleum products. It is estimated that the new process will produce significantly less carbon dioxide compared to the traditional polyethylene manufacturing process and will generate enough renewable energy to be a self-sufficient facility.

• Solar Technology

Recent reports indicate the solar cell production industry is growing at an annual rate of 40 percent. New capacity of solar cells during the next three years will account for the production of more than 11,000 megawatts of electricity. Dow has joined in on the development of this innovative technology.

Dow is investing $50 million to develop Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) which will enable solar energy generation materials to be incorporated directly into the design of commercial and residential building materials such as roofing systems, exterior sidings, fascias and more. The Dow product will be integrated directly into roofing material to create a "solar shingle." Traditionally the costs for photovoltaic or solar power have been very high and the process to incorporate them on homes has been very cumbersome for homeowners. Through its BIPV efforts, Dow plans to achieve grid parity by 2015, or sooner in those regions which offer incentive programs. Dow’s photovoltaics program was selected as a recipient of the $20 million Solar America Initiative Pathways Program by the U.S. Department of Energy. Dow’s project is to create an aesthetically pleasing, easy to install – and cost effective – solar roof system that converts sunlight directly into electricity. This new and innovative product and technology is scheduled for test market in 2010, with full commercialization and availability targeted for first quarter of 2011.

In addition to manufacturing energy-saving products, Dow is working to incorporate alternative energy into its operations. At Dow’s Pittsburg, California facility, the company has installed a solar energy farm capable of generating 210 kW, which is enough energy to power 175 homes and offsets approximately 440 million pounds of CO2 per year.

• Biomass to Ethanol

Dow and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are jointly developing and evaluating a process that will convert biomass to ethanol, as well as other chemical building blocks. A mixed alcohol catalyst from Dow is seen as the key to unlocking the potential for this promising, renewable energy resource. The process will use non-food ingredients, like the leaves from a corn plant or wood wastes, and convert the bio-based material through a gasification process to synthesis gas. Dow’s technology helps convert the synthesis gas into a mixture of alcohols including ethanol that can be used as transportation fuels or chemical building blocks.

• Lomax Landfill Methane Gas Project

Using methane gas piped from a nearby landfill – a renewable energy source – Dow’s Dalton, Georgia, manufacturing facility is using DOW™ LOMAX™ Technology to create carpet backing. The process will use approximately 240 billion Btus annually of methane gas, which is equivalent to the amount of energy required to heat 2,100 U.S. homes each year. Carpet backing manufactured with LOMAX™ Technology will reduce CO₂ emissions by approximately 27 million pounds annually – which is comparable to keeping 2,300 cars off the road each year. If measured by oil consumed, LOMAX™ Technology will replace more than 200,000 barrels annually.

• Converting Heat Energy to Electricity

Dow's chemistry is essential to three 50-megawatt solar units in Spain. Using DOWTHERM™ A – a mix of specialized heat transfer fluids – to help convert heat energy into electricity, the plants will generate 150 megawatts of clean energy, enough to power 90,000 homes and save 450,000 tons of CO2 per year.

• Efficient Insulation

One square foot of one-inch thick Dow STYROFOAM™ insulation will save one ton of CO₂ emissions over the average life of a house. Dow building insulation material saves hundreds of million metric tons of CO₂ each year.

• Wind blades

Dow has developed AIRSTONE™ systems for the fabrication of wind blades, including advanced infusion systems. AIRSTONE™ Systems, a family of Dow products based on Dow’s epoxy chemistry and technology, make wind mill blades stronger, lighter and easier to manufacture. AIRSTONE™ Systems for Wind Energy is the latest of many dynamic Dow products, including STYROFOAM™ brand insulation (also used in wind blade construction), that are helping to create a sustainable future for the human family.

• Municipal Wastewater

Dow’s Benelux site in Terneuzen, The Netherlands has found an innovative way to transform one city’s waste into a viable form of energy savings. Terneuzen municipal household waste water is being channeled via a special pipeline to Dow’s production facility. The household waste water is then purified under lower pressure than salt water, which means that less energy and fewer chemicals are used, and consequently less carbon dioxide is discharged. The site now recycles 80 percent of its treated fresh waste water and has reduced energy consumption for producing boiler feed water by 90 percent. To complete the recycle on the Terneuzen site, large ponds are used to capture storm water and cycle it back into the units.