Hemp Can Benefit from Dept. of Energy’s Carbon Storing Initiatives

The U.S. Department of Energy is putting out a call for carbon negative building materials that can retrofit federal buildings. Hemp building materials fit the bill.

By Elizabeth Lunt

Hemp builders may have a shot at inclusion in two government initiatives as the Biden administration makes good on some of its climate action promises. Two recently-announced programs seek to evaluate or fund innovative building solutions that reduce the carbon footprint of the building industry, variously cited as around 10-30% of emissions. 

And while hemp building materials have a way to go before becoming widely accepted, they fit neatly into the carbon-capture materials bucket that these programs aim to support.

Participation would be a boon to the nascent hemp building industry and those who want to see the supply chain come wholly into the United States.

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“They’re right – if we are going to reduce the carbon footprint we need to do something about the building industry, and hemp building is well-positioned for growth,” Jacob Waddell, president of the United States Hemp Building Association, told Hemp Build Magazine.

Waddell observed that while the industry may not be fully able to take advantage of all these opportunities because it can’t yet point to widespread adoption, the government focus on green building materials can only help hemp’s cause. Whether hemp builders can secure participation in these opportunities remains to be seen, but hemp’s carbon-capture qualities put it in a good position to advocate for inclusion.

The first, a Request for Information (RFI) from the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the General Services Administration (GSA) reiterates the Biden Administration commitment to economy-wide net-zero emissions in the United States by 2050. To that end, they are seeking information “on retrofit technologies that help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of commercial buildings and have significant potential for equitable and wide adoption in the U.S. marketplace.” The feds are specifically interested in retrofit technologies that reduce carbon capture and can move commercial buildings toward net-zero emissions. 

The Request for Information states a category where hemp insulation would fit nicely: “innovative building envelope retrofit solutions” although providers must be able to provide sites where evaluation can take place in “occupied, operational buildings” in order to be considered. Unfortunately, participants are required to donate the core technology or “arrange financing via an alternative funding mechanism in order to participate.” 
Once the technology is proven, there is an opportunity to have it implemented to retrofit GSAs enormous portfolio of commercial property throughout the United States. Deadline for responses is December 7.

$45 Million grant

The second opportunity, also offered by DOE through their arpa-e program, will deploy up to $45 million through Harnessing Emissions into Structures Taking Inputs from the Atmosphere (HESTIA). In a webinar explicating the opportunity, Dr. Elizabeth Shoenfelt Troein, a current arpa-e fellow, describes a successful HESTIA project as one that would yield building materials that “store more carbon in their chemical structure than is emitted during manufacture.” In other words, they are seeking materials that embody carbon. Hemp is often cited as just such a material. Concept papers are due December 20 with the full application submissions date TBD.

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It is clear that hemp’s much-touted ability to store carbon both while growing and as a building material will offer much opportunity to take advantage of participation in these government initiatives in the years to come, if not immediately. 

“This shows potential for the hemp building industry to make strides with the support from government funding,” Waddell said, noting that he’s pleased to see momentum from the government to make green changes in the buildings we use.

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