Reducing Energy Waste from Transformers While Ensuring Robust Supply D.

Department of Energy (DOE) proposed updated energy efficiency standard for these transformers that would cut greenhouse gas emissions and costs for households and businesses—while helping shift the market to products with a more reliable domestic supply chain. [...] With only a single domestic supplier, about half of the GOES used in the United States is imported, a share that is expected to continue rising, according to the Department of Commerce. [...] THE PROPOSED STANDARDS WOULD IMPROVE TRANSFORMERS AND ENSURE ROBUST SUPPLY DOE's proposed updated energy efficiency performance standards would likely necessitate use of amorphous metal in most new units, including both liquid-immersed transformers (typically installed outdoors and owned by utilities) and dry-type transformers (typically used in or near buildings and owned by building owners). [...] By 2050, the annual electricity savings from the proposed standards, about 24.6 terawatt hours, would be equivalent to the current annual consumption of all the households in Oklahoma. [...] And because amorphous metal is not used in EVs (while conventional electrical steel is), using it in the production of transformers should ensure a more stable supply of transformers, a crucial piece of equipment for the electrical grid.