Energy giants’ lobbying fuels the rise of hydrogen

Shell and BP want the controversial gas in families’ boilers. They’re pushing hard. By John Collingridge

Sunday May 02 2021, 12.01am, The Sunday Times

EXTRACTS

Few parts of the UK have attracted as much government attention in recent months as northeast England. Although Conservative mayor Ben Houchen is favourite to win Thursday’s Tees Valley mayoral election, ministers have left nothing to chance.

The 34-year-old has hosted visits from Boris Johnson, chancellor Rishi Sunak and business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng. Nearby Hartlepool, where the Tories’ Jill Mortimer is the bookies’ favourite to grab the seat from Labour in this week’s by-election, has received a similar love-bombing.

Houchen’s campaign has had a distinctly green tinge. He has campaigned on a ticket of clean industrial rebirth in an area ravaged by the closures of steel and chemicals works.

Hydrogen has been at its heart — an element that in just a few years has propelled into the mainstream.

Huge vested interests lie behind the rise of hydrogen: oil giants such as Shell, BP and Norway’s Equinor have staked their futures on natural gas as a less-polluting alternative to oil. read more

By Leigh Collins 

Blue hydrogen may well be more expensive than green H₂ by 2030, as some analysts predict, but large volumes of the blue variety — produced from natural gas with carbon capture and storage (CCS) — might nevertheless still be needed, Shell’s top hydrogen executive explains in a Recharge podcast.

Paul Bogers, vice-president, hydrogen, at Shell, argues that the power sector will need an awful lot of renewable energy to decarbonise, so there may simply not be enough wind or solar power available to produce green hydrogen on top of that. read more

Shell says electric vehicles will be crucial in its efforts to lower carbon emissions

Sumathi Bala: FRI, APR 16 20214:50 AM EDT

• Electric vehicles will play a critical role in Royal Dutch Shell’s decarbonizing efforts – opening up opportunities in this mobility sector, according to a senior executive at the oil giant.
• Huibert Vigeveno, downstream director at Shell, says the company intends to expand its global EV charging stations network worldwide, pledging to have 2.5 million charging points by 2030.

Electric vehicles will play a critical role in Royal Dutch Shell’s efforts to cut emissions, according to a senior executive at the oil giant.

“If you look at the decarbonization opportunities of this mobility sector, EV plays a crucial role,” said Huibert Vigeveno, downstream director at Shell, adding that the company intends to expand its global electric vehicle charging stations network worldwide. read more

Jillian Ambrose: Thu 15 Apr 2021 13.58 BST

Royal Dutch Shell has urged investors to vote for its strategy to shift the business towards cleaner energy sources, despite warnings that the plan does not go far enough to meet the Paris climate agreement goals.

The oil company set out its energy transition plan before its annual shareholder meeting in May, when investors will be able to take part in an advisory vote on Shell’s climate plans for the first time. The vote will not be binding. read more

Shell Outlines Plans for Reducing Its Own Carbon Footprint

The energy giant has high hopes for sustainable aviation fuel

BY LISA LACY: 7 April 2021

While energy giant Shell may not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of sustainability, it’s looking to change that by “reduc[ing] the carbon intensity of all the energy that we sell by 2050.”

That’s according to Dean Aragón, CEO of Shell Brands International AG, who said the company has set milestones toward becoming a net-zero emissions energy business for the years 2023, 2030 and 2035 that are “very clear, measurable and quantifiable targets on the decarbonization journey.” He did not provide specifics. read more

Shell hunts for hydrogen opportunities in Australia in net zero push

Sonali Paul: Thu, 25 March 2021, 8:50 am MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell is scouring Australia for opportunities to develop its hydrogen business, so far focused on projects in Europe, in its drive to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Shell Australia Chair Tony Nunan said the company sees hydrogen and carbon capture and storage as essential to the company’s net zero ambitions, and Australia is well placed to be competitive in both of those technologies.

Australia, like its biggest coal and gas customers China, Japan and South Korea, has mapped out a hydrogen strategy, with plans to become an exporter by 2030, using its vast wind and solar resources to produce “green” hydrogen and natural gas and carbon capture for “blue” hydrogen. read more

Shell to pilot faster-charging, solar-powered stations for EVs in Singapore

GAYL GOH gaylegoh@sph.com.sg Singapore: Thu, Mar 04 2021

THREE Shell service stations in Tampines, Pasir Ris and Lakeview will soon be powered by solar energy and offer significantly faster charging services for electric vehicles (EVs). The Energy Market Authority (EMA) and Shell have jointly awarded a research grant to a consortium led by local solar company Eigen Energy, to pilot the stations by early 2022.

The new stations will add to Shell’s network of 18 stations with EV charging services across the island. However, they will offer much shorter charging times – up to three times faster – than the 50 kilowatt rapid direct current chargers deployed at the existing stations. The latter typically provide up to an 80 per cent charge in about 30 minutes, depending on the EV model. read more

Energy firms bet on hydrogen boom, but payday far away

By Ron Bousso, Stephanie Kelly: March 3, 2021: 4 MIN READ

(Reuters) – Governments and energy companies are placing large bets on clean hydrogen playing a leading role in efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions, but its future uses and costs are highly uncertain. FILE PHOTO: A Shell hydrogen station for hydrogen fuel cell cars is seen in Torrance, California September 30, 2014. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson//File Photo

“Without hydrogen by 2050 we cannot aim to be a net zero (carbon) economy,” Royal Dutch Shell CEO Ben van Beurden told the CERAWeek online conference this week.

The universe’s most abundant element, hydrogen has been touted for decades as an alternative to fossil fuels, but attempts to commercialise it for use in vehicles and industry have largely failed.

So far, commercial-scale production has been from natural gas or coal and it is a niche market used mainly in oil refining and heavy industry. read more

Shell Energy to take part in renewable, gas-based power value chain for grid stability

By: Vikas Srivastava | March 3, 2021 8:48 AM Shell Energy Asia plans to participate in the power value chain in India to resolve the issues of renewable intermittency by using the idle gas-based power assets. The LNG supplier is working with the government and regulators in various geographies to achieve a connection between the renewable plus gas-based power generation for maximum cost and environment benefits, even as it promises to provide round-the-clock (RTC) electricity to the government.Shell, one of the largest oil and gas explorer and supplier, sees natural gas as the most suitable alternative to bundle with renewables to meet the grid intermittency challenge during night or when sun is not visible. Bundling natural gas with renewables will allow unhindered power generation for anytime of the day or night.

Ajay Shah, VP, Shell Energy Asia, told FE that Shell through its global pronouncements has expressed its aspirations to participate in the power or electricity value chain and form partnerships on the renewables and gas.

“Some of the early steps have been taken and the industry is open to such partnerships. We are also working with the government and regulators to see how this connection should be made. There are enough idle assets and we hope this connection should be made,” Shah said. read more

Shell puts electric charge into green energy future

Emily Gosden, Energy Editor Friday February 12 2021, 12.01am, The Times

Royal Dutch Shell plans to operate as many as 2.5 million electric vehicle charging points globally by 2030 under a new emissions-reduction strategy that will see its oil output decline.

The Anglo-Dutch oil giant sought to flesh out its 2050 net zero emissions goal with a plan to focus on customer-facing business such as electricity sales, rather than power generation like its peers. It intends to operate half a million charging points by 2025, up from 60,000 today, and could increase this to 2.5 million by the end of the decade. read more

Shell signs its first German solar PPA

Bonn: 02 Feb 2021: 12:17 CET

(Montel) Shell Energy Europe has signed its first power purchase agreement with a solar project developer in Germany, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. It has contracted for 9 GWh of power annually with Seac Invest, the developer of a 9 MW site in Fuerstenwalde in the eastern state of Brandenburg. The project has been delivering power since the start of the year.

“This solar power deal will help us to expand the range of low-carbon energy choices we offer to our customers in Germany,” said the head of European power at Shell Energ…

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Shell, Simply Blue Energy in joint venture for offshore wind project

Floating turbines off south coast will supply power for up to 800,000 homes

Kevin O’Sullivan Environment & Science Editor: 27 JAN 2021

Shell has signed an agreement with Irish marine renewables developer Simply Blue Energy to acquire a 51 per cent share in a floating wind farm to be built off the south coast.

The joint venture will produce up to 1 gigawatt of power when fully operational – equivalent to Ireland’s largest generating station at Moneypoint in Co Clare, and capable of powering 800,000 homes.

“This partnership combines the floating wind track record and local knowledge of Simply Blue Energy with Shell’s offshore experience, floating wind expertise and ability to develop large complex projects,” Simply Blue chief executive Sam Roch-Perks said. read more

Shell Says Hydrogen Is Heavy Transport’s Future. What Now for Biofuels?

A Deloitte report commissioned by Shell finds that the heavy-freight sector is increasingly planning for a switch to hydrogen.

JOHN PARNELL JANUARY 21, 2021 EXTRACTS

Hydrogen will be the key energy source for global road freight, according to a new report commissioned by European oil major Shell.

The study, carried out by global accountancy firm Deloitte on Shell’s behalf, questioned 158 executives in the road freight sector in 22 different countries.

“We believe that once produced at scale, hydrogen will likely be the more cost-effective and viable pathway to net-zero emissions for heavy-duty and long-route medium-duty vehicles, and electric mobility will do the same for light-duty and short-route medium-duty vehicles,” Carlos Maurer, EVP of sectors and decarbonization at Shell, said in a statement. “Shell has already begun taking steps to make these energy solutions available to customers, and we are partnering with others to expand these efforts.” read more

Shell and Eneco’s offshore wind farm to include floating solar and hydrogen production

PUBLISHED THU, JUL 30 20209:19 AM EDT Anmar Frangoul

A consortium made up of Shell and Eneco is to develop an offshore wind farm that will incorporate a range of “technology demonstrations” including floating solar and hydrogen produced by electrolysis.

The 759 megawatt (MW) Hollandse Kust (noord) facility will be subsidy free and able to produce at least 3.3 terawatt hours annually, according to Eneco, a Rotterdam-headquartered firm whose shareholders are the Mitsubishi Corporation and Chubu Electric Power Co. The project will use 69 turbines from Siemens Gamesa, which will have a capacity of 11 MW each. read more

Shell’s EV charging arm signs partnership deal with Mazda

By John Wood15 July 2020

Shell’s electric vehicle (EV) charging arm NewMotion has agreed a partnership with Mazda.

The deal means Mazda MX-30 owners will be offered a NewMotion home charge point and can access its UK public network of 2,500 charge points. NewMotion will also deliver electric vehicle (EV) charge points at UK Mazda dealerships.

Commenting on the partnership, Mazda Motors UK managing director Jeremy Thomson said: “We chose to partner with NewMotion due to its pioneering development of smart charging solutions over the past 10 years. The company’s charge points are online connected, meaning they can receive regular updates to ensure a Mazda MX-30 owner’s charging hardware is always up to date and working perfectly. This also enables remote start and stop of charging sessions via the MyMazda app and will give our Mazda MX-30 owners a fully integrated and interactive home charging solution.” read more

by Daniel Binns: Published February 19, 2020

SEVEN out of ten Britons plan to buy an electric car when they trade in their current vehicle, a survey shows.

Cheaper fuel costs and being seen to do more to clean up the planet are major motivating factors, found Shell Energy.

Another is the phasing out of petrol and diesel cars — after the government revealed sales of new ones will be ended in 2035, five years earlier than planned.

Colin Crooks, the chief executive of Shell Energy, said: ‘We support the need for the UK to move faster to meet climate targets and research shows there is public support for the earlier ban on traditional car sales.’ read more

Published by Industry Global News24: 06 Jan 2020

The Anglo-Dutch company had promised its investors in 2017 that, it will spend $1 bn to $2 bn per year. The fund will be invested in developing a clean energy project till the end of 2020. The company is falling short of the planned $4 billion-$6 billion to be invested between 2016 to end of 2020. This slow progress is likely to raise concerns from environmental groups that oil companies are not contributing to environmental conservation.

Since setting up the “new energies” division, the country has spent approximately $2 billion in setting up a low-carbon energy and electricity production facility. With only a year left to go, the company is far behind the set investment target of $4 bn-$6 bn. read more

Jillian Ambrose and Jasper Jolly: Fri 3 Jan 2020 06.00 GMT

Shell’s green spending plans were dealt a blow earlier this year when the company missed out on a multibillion dollar race to buy Dutch utility Eneco, which has a large renewable energy portfolio. Shell and its pension fund partner lost out to a consortium of investors led by Japan’s Mitsubishi, which paid $4.5bn for the company.

The deal might have pushed Shell’s green investment towards its planned spending range. Shell said it was disappointed it lost the bid, and said that it would continue to invest growing gas and electricity generation from renewable sources. read more

First Utility were rebranded as Shell Energy in March 2019, more than a year after Shell purchased the supplier, and announced they were switching to 100% renewable energy. They later announced they were purchasing fellow small supplier Green Star Energy, another renewables specialist.

By Lucy Brown: 3 January 2020

Extracts

Records were broken in 2019 as more UK electricity was produced via renewables rather than from fossil fuels.

Wind and solar both saw record generation peaks, plus a day in August has been labelled as the ‘greenest’ ever. read more