Transforming thermal energy for good
Renewable Thermal Collaborative
© Getty Images / pidjoe / WWF-US
From distilleries to home goods factories, the Renewable Thermal Collaborative (RTC) is revolutionizing how industries produce the products we rely on. By transforming how thermal energy is sourced and used, RTC is making renewable energy part of everyday life.
Industrial manufacturers rely on heating and cooling for nearly everything we use — from the food we eat to the clothes we wear. As a result, industrial energy use is the third-largest source of US greenhouse gas emissions, right after transportation and electricity. Globally, 39% of all emissions can be attributed to heating and cooling.
Yet, thermal energy remains largely overlooked. Without addressing it, we can’t slow climate change. More intense storms, record-breaking heatwaves, and widespread disruptions threaten ecosystems, businesses, and communities.
To change this, WWF, together with the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions and David Gardiner and Associates, launched the Renewable Thermal Collaborative— the only global initiative focused on cutting emissions from industrial and building heating and cooling. Through shared knowledge, collaboration, and innovation, RTC turns ambitions into action — accelerating businesses’ transition to renewables.
RTC unites companies, institutions, governments, and renewable thermal energy solution providers to tackle technical, policy, and market barriers and accelerate the adoption of renewable thermal energy solutions. It addresses this critical environmental issue while also boosting energy security, creating quality jobs, fostering innovation, and encouraging investment in efficient, modern manufacturing facilities.
“The Renewable Thermal Collaborative is singularly focused on the often overlooked and incredibly challenging emissions from industrial thermal energy use. We’re confronting this challenge with a tested approach and a bold goal to slash industrial thermal energy emissions 30 percent over the decade.”
Marty Spitzer Senior Director, Climate and Renewable Energy at WWF
Turning obstacles into opportunities
Scaling an ambitious, first-of-its-kind project takes sustained support. In 2021, RTC’s bold vision to reduce industrial thermal emissions in the US by 30% by 2030 (compared to 2018 levels) won the 2030 Climate Challenge, securing a $10 million grant from an anonymous donor.
This funding enabled RTC's initial phase of growth and impact, expanding a more active community focused on scaling renewable thermal energy, accelerating deployment by connecting buyers with solution providers, facilitating knowledge sharing and peer learning, and advancing supportive federal and state policies.
Numerous case studies exemplify RTC's success in facilitating impactful renewable thermal projects across various industries and geographies. For example, at the Indianapolis International Airport, the installation of 70 solar thermal collectors on the roof of a storage facility resulted in a 50% reduction in energy costs and avoidance of 574 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. RTC now includes over 50 energy buyers and 60 providers of renewable thermal energy solutions, together representing companies worth more than $6 trillion.
None of this progress would be possible without the bold, transformational gift that set the vision in motion.
Fueling everyday life — today and tomorrow
Today, that same urgency drives RTC forward. That’s because reaching its goal to reduce thermal emissions by 30% by 2030 requires a 150% increase in renewable thermal energy use in the next five years—a goal we can only tackle through collaboration.
With the support of members, donors, and partners, RTC is working to scale its impacts by going farther, faster—evolving rapidly to reimagine thermal energy and address the urgency and magnitude of industrial thermal greenhouse gas emissions to safeguard people, wildlife, and the planet’s natural resources.
© WWF-US Climate Team
Get in touch
If you’re interested in learning more about how you can support this work, please contact the Philanthropy team at [email protected]