Electrification

With worldwide focus on mitigating the negative effects of climate change, and securing ample energy sources, efforts are underway to develop and implement alternatives to fossil fuels for power generation. These alternatives include solar, wind, hydro and geothermal power, advanced nuclear power technologies, and hydrogen as a fuel source, among others. The goal is to move away from the myriad of CO₂-producing combustion processes that are currently fueling our cars, airplanes, kitchen stoves, heating furnaces and industrial plant processes, and move toward electrification.

 Electrification broadly means the use of electricity as a power source, and today it commonly refers to electricity generated without the use of fossil fuels. Moving forward with electrification has far-reaching ramifications in transportation, heating, industrial manufacturing and more.

 The four articles presented here provide a snapshot of some of the current issues around electrification. Brought to you by our two sister publications, Chemical Engineering and POWER, these articles provide insights from the perspectives of power generation and transmission, industrial implementation, and sustainability.

Dorothy Lozowski
Editorial Director, Chemical Engineering and POWER