Explore every episode of the podcast The Energy Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What’s next for carbon capture and storage technology? | 12 Aug 2025 | 00:31:57 | |
Climate scientists, governments and organisations, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and International Energy Agency, recognise that the world needs carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology if society is to achieve net-zero emissions. In this episode, hosts Bryony and Eddie are joined by Shell’s Vice-president for CCS, Bernhard Koudelka, to discuss the role of this combination of technologies in decarbonising heavy industry, and – as the world’s first project to offer commercial CCS as a service prepares to start up – the challenges of scaling the industry to the level the world needs. Whether you’re new to CCS or looking for a deeper understanding of its role in the energy transition, this episode offers expert insight and real-world examples. What are negative emissions? Practices or technologies that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere are often described as achieving negative emissions. Learn more about The Energy Podcast The Energy Podcast is a Starstruck Media production for Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Engineering one of the world’s most advanced energy projects | 01 Aug 2025 | 00:13:21 | |
In this bonus episode of The Energy Podcast, host Bryony speaks with Hadi Quazi, Shell’s Joint Venture Asset Manager for LNG Canada. Together, they explore how Shell and its partners brought to life the largest private-sector investment in Canadian history – and put a remote corner of Canada on the global energy map. From a 670-kilometre pipeline crossing mountain ranges to a liquefaction facility on the country’s west coast, this episode takes you inside the engineering and partnerships helping to meet the world's growing demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG). Read more about LNG Canada Explore the engineering behind LNG Canada Learn more about The Energy Podcast The Energy Podcast is a Starstruck Media production for Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| How Can Carbon Markets Limit Climate Change? | 17 May 2023 | 00:24:15 | |
Carbon markets are advancing on a global level, following the first country-to-country trades at COP27. The Energy Podcast investigates how carbon pricing works and examines what role it can play in the race to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Presented by Julia Streets. Featuring Dr Hasan Muslemani from the Oxford Institute of Energy Studies, Andrea Bonzanni from the International Emissions Trading Association and Shell’s senior carbon pricing policy advisor, Dr Malek Al-Chalabi. With additional contribution by Stephen Kansuk, Head of Environment and Climate Change at the United Nations in Ghana. The Energy Podcast is a Fresh Air Production for Shell, produced by Annie Day and Sarah Moore, and edited by Molly Lynch and Sophie Curtis.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: 00:00 MUSIC BED COMES IN Andrea Bonzanni: Emissions must be reduced globally irrespective of where they take place. The atmosphere is one at the end of the day. Article VI allows reducing emissions where it’s more efficient. Dr Hasan Muslemani: We have solutions that are being praised as the holy grail of net- zero… The issue is that we need all the solutions that we can get because in the fight against climate change, we are really in a race against time. Julia Streets: The cost of climate change. It's a phrase commonly used by governments, companies, and campaigners across the world when discussing the need to limit global warming to well below two degrees Celsius. Quantifying the exact cost of far- reaching effects of climate change is not an easy task. But putting a price on emissions is viewed by many as an effective means to help drive down levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. The idea is simple. Putting a price on carbon emissions creates a financial incentive to reduce them. Hello, I'm Julia Streets, and today on The Energy Podcast: How can carbon markets limit climate change? MUSIC ENDS With me to discuss this are Andrea Bonzanni, who's the international policy director at the International Emissions Trading Association, who you may well remember from a previous episode of The Energy Podcast. He is joined by Dr. Hasan Muslemani, who is the head of Carbon Management Research at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. And our third guest is Dr. Malek Al- Chalabi, who is a senior carbon pricing policy advisor at Shell. Hasan, perhaps I could start with you. For the benefit of the audience, would you just mind explaining what we mean when we talk about carbon markets? 02:18 03:30 03:36 05:12 05:19 06:41 07:03 07:45 07:58 09:20 10:18 12:14 12:27 14:02 14:25 15:33 15:41 16:49 17:01 18:47 18:57 20:06 20:12 21:07 21:12 21:40 21:45 22:04 22:07 MUSIC BED COMES IN 23:00 MUSIC ENDS
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| Can A Divided World Tackle Climate Change? | 21 Mar 2023 | 00:24:52 | |
One year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, The Energy Podcast investigates the impact of recent events on the global energy transition, drawing on Shell’s two latest Scenarios: Sky 2050 and Archipelagos. Presented by Julia Streets, featuring László Varró, head of Shell’s Scenarios team, and Dr Nat Keohane, President of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES). Read more about the Energy Security Scenarios here. The Energy Podcast is a Fresh Air Production for Shell, produced by Annie Day and edited by Sophie Curtis.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: 00:00:00 Julia Streets: Today on the Energy Podcast... MUSIC BED COMES IN Dr. Nat Keohane: The energy security concerns from the Russian invasion of Ukraine actually accelerate the pace of the energy transition. Laszlo Varro: There was no single global response. Europe is the eye of the storm. It is Europe where the energy crisis had by far the biggest impact. This is a situation where the average European consumer needed no explanation that there is a crisis. 00:28:41 Julia Streets: When Russia invaded Ukraine, the world was already facing a challenging set of circumstances with post-COVID- 19 austerity looming, energy prices rising and security tensions growing. The invasion amplified many of these challenges and brought the need for secure supplies of affordable, sustainable energy to the very top of the global agenda. Today, we will be exploring the tensions that have been unleashed just over one year after the invasion, with security issues, global energy supply and geopolitical alliances all in flux. We'll also be discussing how these tensions could be resolved in a world that needs to decarbonize, drawing on Shell's latest scenarios research. Hello, I'm Julia Streets and today on the Energy Podcast, can a divided world tackle climate change? MUSIC ENDS Allow me to introduce my guest today. Our first guest is Laszlo Varro, who joined Shell in 2021 as the VP of Global Business Environment, looking at scenarios and pathways. He joined, after 10 years at the International Energy Agency, where he was most recently their chief economist. In his role at Shell, he leads up the scenarios team, which explores how the global energy system could evolve right the way through to the end of the century. So Laszlo, it's great to have you on the show. Laszlo Varro: Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to be here. Julia Streets: And joining us today is Dr. Nat Keohane, who is the president of C2ES, the Center of Climate and Energy Solutions. Before taking on that role in July 2021, Nat served for eight years as a senior vice president for climate with the Environmental Defense Fund where he led all of EDF's climates work in the United States and globally. So Nat, thank you so much for being with us. Dr. Nat Keohane: Thanks very much for having me. Julia Streets: So Laszlo, in the introduction, I mentioned that you lead the scenarios team at Shell. Can you talk us through what we mean when you talk about these scenarios? 02:34:18 Laszlo Varro: Scenario analysis came out of Cold War strategic assessments. Shell was historically the first company to use it for strategic analysis, so we are continuing a time- honored tradition. Scenarios have decision makers navigating uncertainties by reflecting on plausible futures. The Shell scenarios are not Shell's predictions, they are not Shell's commitments and they're not Shell's strategy. They are part of the information base that the leadership had navigating through the uncertain world. Now in 2022, it's fair to say that history was teaching us some very tragic lessons about uncertainties. Even before the war, there were tensions and fissures in the energy system. The post- COVID recovery in 2021 was exceptionally energy-intensive. Global carbon dioxide emissions stabilized at a level which is entirely unsustainable. Geopolitical intentions were already emerging, and debates were already emerging on the future of globalization. Now, on top of these existing tensions, the Russian aggression against Ukraine is not only a human tragedy – most importantly, it is a human tragedy – but it was also a geopolitical energy shock, which hasn't happened since the 1970s shocks of the Yom Kippur War and the Iranian Revolution. It created a new energy reality. Some of the impacts are helping the energy transition, other impacts are hindering the energy transition. There are regionally divergent responses and, basically, we were assessing the regionally divergent political, social, economic responses and asked the question how they can shape the energy system in a direction where humanity would like to go. 04:27:16 Julia Streets: So let's explore these scenarios a little further if we may. So there are two that I think are particularly salient today. Could you just talk us through those two scenarios? Then I'd love to bring in Nat for your reaction and your thoughts. Laszlo. 04:39:29 Laszlo Varro: We felt that, in the world of 2022-2023, social and political priorities on security are a given. They are just a fact of life. But the two scenarios, the two pathways, are distinguished by what is the actual interpretation of security. What do we mean by security and how do we try to achieve that? In one of the pathways, we call that Archipelagos, security is achieved by sticking to the existing well understood conventional energy system, energy infrastructure and capital stock, and security increases the importance of domestic hydrocarbon resources or hydrocarbon imports from friendly countries. There are signals and signposts in that direction. Last year, we have seen a surge of domestic coal production all around the world. China, for example, expanded its domestic coal production in energy terms by seven exajoules. Just for the sake of comparison, all the oil and gas that Shell produces worldwide is around six exajoules in energy terms. So the increase in domestic coal mining in China last year was more than the entire hydrocarbon production of Shell. Now we also designed another scenario - we called it Sky - in which the interpretation of security is very different. In this scenario, society regards the fossil fuel dominated energy system itself as a security risk. Very clearly, the fact that it was Russia, a major oil and gas producer which launched a geopolitical aggression, it reinforced the already existing political and media narrative that oil and gas are the problem and renewable energy is the solution. This is a scenario in which society flees forward and achieves security by an accelerated transformation of the energy system. 06:41:37 Julia Streets: Thank you for setting out those two scenarios because what strikes me is that one of them very much starts with the premise of where we are today and where we're headed, and that is the Archipelagos. The second, Sky, as you call it, starts with a future point and then works backwards from that. Nat, I know you've looked at these. I'd love to get your reactions. 07:05:06 Dr. Nat Keohane: Any scenarios like this are primarily useful for making comparisons. Any individual scenario is bound to be wrong in the details, so these aren't crystal balls, but by comparing the scenarios and looking at where they have consistent themes and where they diverge, we can learn a lot. So that's how I want to be approaching these. So under both scenarios that Shell has released, renewables increase while fossil decreases. The difference is how fast. And because of those dynamics, as well as similar consistent transitions in transport and industry, in both scenarios, we see global CO2, carbon dioxide emissions peaking and starting to decline within a decade. One interesting finding in fact from the Archipelagos scenario that Laszlo mentioned is that the energy security concerns from the Russian invasion of Ukraine actually accelerate the pace of the energy transition. It's also important to note this isn't the only evidence we have for this. The International Energy Agency in a recent report and the other oil major BP, and it just published Energy Outlook, both found similar conclusions. In other words, even under projected trends, we're turning the corner on fossil fuel consumption and emissions in the near term. The low carbon energy transition is no longer a matter of if but when. And so this is where it's useful to look at the divergence between those scenarios because that divergence points to what we need to do to accelerate that transition much faster than it would otherwise happen. And it's very clear. We need to rapidly decarbonize, clean up the electric grid, even as we expand energy access in developing countries, and even as we shift much of our economy, including transportation and industry to run on electricity. We need to develop new fuels for aviation and new technologies to make heavy industrial products like cement and steel. We need to develop and deploy new technologies from scratch like green zero- carbon hydrogen and carbon removal technologies to take carbon out of the atmosphere and we need to scale them up and we need to transform land use so we store much more carbon in soils and forests. All of those things are highlighted in the scenarios. To do all of that, we really need government policies at a much more ambitious scale than we have now. 09:26:29 Julia Streets: I'm really curious now to know what the current shifting dynamics are. As I mentioned in my open, we are one year into conflict. And what impact has the war in Ukraine had on the pace of change? Nat, can I come to you first? 09:42:43 Dr. Nat Keohane: My sense in terms of what Russia's invasion of Ukraine has done is that by highlighting energy security concerns, it turns out many of the ways to improve energy security align with reducing fossil fuel use, at least in the medium and long term. Not right away, and that's a problem. Right away, we see a bump up in the use of coal in some areas, and if that locks in, we're in real trouble. But at least what the scenarios are showing us is that the shift to a focus on energy security can actually help shift towards more renewables, and so, that's an important additional dynamic. 10:17:24 Julia Streets: Laszlo, let me get your reactions to that. 10:21:26 Laszlo Varro: I broadly agree with everything that Nat said. We tried to enrich the analysis by going into the regional dimension, because there was no single global response. Europe is the eye of the storm. It is Europe where the energy crisis had by far the biggest impact. Now, Europe mobilized very large amounts of money for the short-term crisis management essentially buying liquified natural gas at whatever price from anywhere around the world and also supporting consumers. But Europe also, as Nat mentioned, very strongly reinforced its clean energy policies. Essentially, the clean energy transition in Europe emerged as the overarching organizing principle of policy. And very importantly, this is a situation where the average European consumer needed no explanation that there is a crisis. So last year, there was a warm winter in Europe and a warm winter reduces heating energy demand. That's well understood. But when you statistically analyze the demand data and you adjust with the temperature, it turns out that the demand decline in European heating gas use was around 10 billion cubic meters more than the temperature can explain. So 10 billion cubic meters of gas, which is like switching off the heating in 5 million homes, was delivered by people voluntarily changing their behavior. Now you jump over to the United States. So the United States is embarking on a journey to decarbonize a high energy consumption American lifestyle, which requires innovation and requires investment. You could observe the main US policy reaction, the Inflation Reduction Act, primarily focuses on increasing investment in clean energy supply. There is no carbon pricing in the Inflation Reduction Act, but there are very, very strong incentives to build, build and build more and more clean energy supply. Again, when you jump further, China. China, up until recently, was largely self- sufficient from coal. Their domestic coal production played an important role in maintaining energy security, but at the same time, in all the relevant clean energy technologies - wind power, solar power, nuclear power - China's investment activity is comparable to Europe and the United States combined. It's a massive scale leapfrogging from domestic coal to domestic solar and from domestic coal to domestic nuclear. Last but not least, the developing world outside China, we call them the surfers in our analysis because these are countries that are surfing the waves of opportunity. These are countries which were very badly hit by the European energy crisis. One good example is Pakistan. There was even a European company which defaulted on a contractual obligation to supply gas to Pakistan because even after the penalties, it was more profitable to bring the gas to Europe. Pakistan recently had a gigantic blackout, 200 million people without electricity. And the Pakistani government essentially announced recently that, "We are going to increase our qualified power generation capacity by a factor of four and we are going to dig out our domestic coal and just burn it and maintain security that way." So there have been divergent responses, but overall, what we see in our analysis is that even our more conservative, scenario, is actually a considerably lower temperature increase than what was feared just a couple of years ago in the climate assessments. There is no such thing as a business as usual scenario anymore. 14:09:19 Julia Streets: What does this mean for the energy transition ambition? Are we going to hit that ambitious target or are we going to fall short? 14:19:28 Dr. Nat Keohane: Maybe I can start with just a little bit of context on where we are relative to those global targets. The Paris Agreement on climate change sets that goal of keeping that rise in average global temperatures well below two degrees above pre- industrial levels and striving for 1. 5. The more science we have and the more we learn, the more we realize that 1. 5 is really a much, much safer place to be. So where are we? We're at 1. 1 today and the scenarios as we were talking about, the more conservative scenario goes to 2.2. There's a lot of uncertainty. Let's say 2 to 2. 5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. On the one hand that is a lot of progress since before the Paris Agreement. Before the Paris Agreement, we were looking at 3. 5 to 4 degrees in terms of projected temperature increase. Now we're looking at 2 to 2. 5. Again, everything is uncertain, but 2 to 2. 5 under this conservative scenario. Why is that? The technology changes we've talked about, the accelerations in innovation, but also the Paris Agreement gets some credit for that. The Paris Agreement has created a framework for cooperation that is starting to work. And, the theme of the day, we need to accelerate that much faster if we're going to get below 2 and down to 1. 5, all of those things that the scenarios talk about, how are we going to do that? We need to leverage the Paris Agreement and government policies at all levels, national, state, local. We need to leverage them to really accelerate that clean energy transition. 15:52:20 Julia Streets: Laszlo. 15:55:21 Laszlo Varro: A timely energy transition which satisfies the objectives of the Paris Agreement, and that includes the Sky scenario, which was explicitly designed to satisfy the ambitions of Paris, is consistent with our roughly 2, 3 thousand billion dollars per year increase in average annual clean energy investment. Total capital investment in clean energy globally is thousand billion dollars per year today. A very sizable chunk of that is wind and solar, but biofuels, hydrogen, other technologies also play a role, and this roughly a thousand billion dollars per year, will have to go to, depending on how you model it, somewhere around 4, 000 billion dollars per year. Now, in order to achieve that, a couple of things are needed. First of all, the money. Now in the Western financial system in Europe and the United States, there is a very strong appetite for clean energy investment, but 90% of that clean energy investment funding stays in the Western world and only 10% flows to developing countries, where clean energy is critically underfunded. So one factor where the two scenarios start differing from each other, that in Sky, the financial system effectively channels that capital into clean energy investment in the developing world. The only way to achieve that is to mobilize the power of modern capitalism and turn the energy transition into a profitable investment opportunity. The second thing that you need after you have the money is the equipment. You need the wind turbines, the solar panels, the batteries. You need the metals that they are made from, so you need the copper, the nickel, the lithium. You need the manufacturing capacity and you need value chains which are secure and are trusted from a political point of view. So again, Sky is a scenario in which the scale up of the clean energy value chains and the metal supply is managed appropriately. In Archipelagos, this emerges as a barrier. And last but not least, after you have the money and you have the equipment, you need to have a legal permission to build those things and you need to be able to connect them to the grid, and the legal processes and the licensing and permitting environments in many countries in the world are not in line with the need to rapidly scale up green energy investment. So there's a very important task for governments to modernize the regulatory environment and enable this industrial investment to go ahead. 18:12:21 Dr. Nat Keohane: I'm really with Laszlo in what he said about the finance that's needed and how we mobilize that. We need trillions of dollars. He said thousands of billions. Trillions. That's the same thing. I just want to underscore that. That's what we need in terms of driving more climate finance. Now some of that does need to come from governments. The US, the richest country in the world – we need to be providing more climate finance. It's shameful, frankly, that the US only... It provides a fraction of the climate finance commitments we've pledged. Only a few billion dollars in climate finance a year. That needs to be much greater. And that's talking about billions and we need to be talking about trillions. How are we going to do that with government policies at the national and international levels that mobilize the private sector? The scenarios talk about the importance of carbon markets and carbon trading. Article six of the Paris Agreement provides a framework for that. We need to accelerate that. The best policy to align incentives and mobilize capital is always a price on carbon. The European Union has that. Other countries are putting that in place through various market- based approaches. If we can't do that, then we ought to look for other ways to create incentives to drive capital into those new technologies. Final point, we've talked a lot about increasing the build out of clean technologies and accelerating innovation in zero carbon technologies like wind and solar and hydrogen and so on. That's really important, but it's not sufficient. We also have to accelerate the phase out of the fossil fuel that we're already consuming, starting with coal plants, but also going to oil and gas. We need to accelerate the phase out of the high-carbon fuels even as we are accelerating the build-out of the clean technologies because we have to do both of those things if we're going to meet our targets. 22:26:17 Julia Streets: So let's close out our discussion today by asking you what would you want the audience to do? Nat, can I come to you first? 20:39:28 Dr. Nat Keohane: Sure, thanks. We've just been talking about the need for government policy, for well-designed government policies at all levels, national, state, local, international, to drive the clean energy transition and accelerate that phase-out away from the high-carbon fuels. Those government policies rest on a foundation of political will and citizen engagement, at least in much of the world. So what I always say is the most important thing that individuals can do is make your voice heard on climate. Make this a priority. When you go to the voting booth, if you're in democracy, if you're in the US, you're elsewhere, make this a priority for your voting. Talk to your friends about it, talk to your relatives. The importance of talking and building awareness about not only the state of play in terms of the climate crisis, where we're headed and how urgent it is, but also the optimism, the note that we can shift that trajectory, that we are shifting it and we just need to accelerate that change. That's where I always start. 21:36:44 Julia Streets: Laszlo, what would you want the listeners to do? 21:41:46 Laszlo Varro: So as a citizen, you interact with the energy system through three channels. You have three hats. One, as a citizen, you are a participant in a political system, you vote in elections. Second, you are an investor. The financial system channels your money into investment. Third, you are a consumer. It is your consumer decisions which orient a modern market economy. When you wear your first hat, be aware that governments will have to implement energy and climate policies that were conventionally thought to be politically impossible. So make it possible. Send a signal to the political system that you want those policies. When you wear your investor hat, ask hard questions from the financial institutions that manage your money and consciously steer your investments toward the green energy space. Last but not least, consumers also play a very important role in creating the market for new low carbon products and solutions. So be there and send a signal towards the modern market economy. The capitalist market economy is incredibly effective to provide you what you demand, but you have to demand it. So use all of your three hats and use all of the three channels. 23:13:19 Julia Streets: So Dr. Nat Keohane, thank you so much for being with us and for all your thoughts today. 23:18:26 Dr. Nat Keohane: Thanks very much for having me. It's been a pleasure. 23:20:29 Julia Streets: And Laszlo Varro, thank you for being with us. 23:24:31 Laszlo Varro: Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Nat, for joining us. MUSIC BED COMES IN 23:20:38 Julia Streets: Another fascinating discussion. We started by laying out two very specific energy security scenarios, one called Sky and one called Archipelagos. Of course, you can find links to those on the episode page. Then we thought about what is the impact of the Russia- Ukraine war because ultimately, we're trying to drive change at pace and scale, but we are not doing this in isolation. We're doing this very much on an international playing field and there are regional and national dynamics and considerations at play. Then of course, we brought it right the way back down to what can we do as listeners of this podcast? What can we all do to play our part? My thanks to both Laszlo Varro and Dr. Nat Keohane for all their thoughts today. You've been listening to the Energy Podcast brought to you by Shell, and you can listen and follow for free wherever you get your podcasts so you don't miss a single episode because next time, we're exploring the role that carbon markets can play in keeping global temperature rise below 1. 5 degrees Celsius. The Energy Podcast is a Fresh Air Production, and I must remind you that the views you've heard today from individuals not affiliated with Shell are their own and not Shell plc or its affiliates. I'm Julia Streets. Thank you for listening and until next time. Goodbye. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| 1.5 C and… what’s next? | 12 Dec 2022 | 00:33:27 | |
With COP27 closed out, The Energy Podcast hears different perspectives from people who attended the conference in Egypt, and their views on what needs to happen next. Presented by Julia Streets. Featuring Rebekah Shirley, World Resources Institute Africa; Susan Shannon, Shell; Eduarda Zoghbi, Global Student Energy; Andrea Bonzanni, International Emissions Trading Association. The Energy Podcast is a Fresh Air Production for Shell, produced by Annie Day.
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| 1. 5 C and… turning ambition into action | 04 Nov 2022 | 00:28:07 | |
The 2022 UN Climate Change Conference, or COP27, will be taking place in Egypt between 6th and 18th November with a strong focus on Africa. As the conference gets underway, The Energy Podcast takes a look at what to expect. Presented by Julia Streets. Featuring Prudence Glorious, Chief Purpose Officer at Tanzanian impact firm PZG PR, and Shell’s Chief Climate Change Adviser, David Hone. The Energy Podcast is a Fresh Air Production for Shell, produced by Annie Day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| 1.5 C and… chemicals | 01 Nov 2022 | 00:26:48 | |
In the third episode of our series on heavy industry we explore chemicals. From t-shirts and trainers, medicines and mattresses, to cars and computers, phones and TVs, our modern-day lives are filled with products made from chemicals. But the chemicals industry produces a lot of CO2 emissions. What can be done to reduce these emissions? The Energy Podcast investigates. Presented by Julia Streets. Featuring Peter Goult from Systemiq, Naoko Ishii from the University of Tokyo and Robin Mooldijk from Shell. Additional reporting by Alexander Mante. The Energy Podcast is a Fresh Air Production for Shell, produced by Annie Day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| 1.5 C and… Steel | 21 Oct 2022 | 00:20:40 | |
Steel. It’s strong, it dominates every modern city, and it’s supporting developing economies. But its production generates a lot of carbon emissions. What’s the answer? The Energy Podcast investigates. Presented by Julia Streets. Featuring Professor Leora Dresselhaus-Marais from Stanford University and Lene Hviid from Shell’s metals division. Additional reporting by Judith Durkin. The Energy Podcast is a Fresh Air Production for Shell. Edited by Claire Daley, production by Annie Day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| 1.5 C and… Cement | 14 Oct 2022 | 00:21:27 | |
Cement… it’s all around us. But producing it generates a huge amount of CO2 every year. So what can be done to take carbon out of the cement-making process? The Energy Podcast investigates. Presented by Julia Streets. Featuring Kristin Myskja, Director General of the Climate, Industry and Technology Department at the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, and Audny van Helden, VP Energy Marketing, Sectors and Decarbonisation, Shell. Additional reporting by Judith Durkin. You can find out more about the Northern Lights project here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbPDlZKB5os&t=22s The Energy Podcast is a Fresh Air Production for Shell. Edited by Claire Daley. Produced by Annie Day. Exec Producers: Neil Cowling and Michaela Hallam. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| How blockchain is changing energy | 23 Sep 2022 | 00:32:13 | |
From tracking the source of renewable energy to changing the relationship between how energy is produced and consumed, blockchain has the potential to do so much. Three industry experts tell us their experiences of blockchain in action. Presented by Julia Streets. Featuring Sophia Rödiger, bloXmove; Jesse Morris, Energy Web and Sabine Brink, Shell. Edited by Claire Daly. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| How AI is answering the call of sustainability | 26 Nov 2021 | 00:24:37 | |
What innovations and systems look set to change the energy landscape and is AI ultimately the key to lowering emissions? Questions expertly examined at Web summit – one of the world’s biggest technology events held in Lisbon. In case you missed it, here’s the panel discussion in full. Presented by Martina Fuchs, Xinhua News Agency. Featuring Hege Skryseth, Kongsberg; Junta Nakai, Databricks and Dan Jeavons, Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Brown, grey, blue, green: why does the colour of hydrogen matter? | 18 Nov 2021 | 00:19:38 | |
It is earmarked as a front-runner in the quest for lower carbon, but The Energy Podcast explores why all hydrogen may not be equal when it comes to meeting climate goals. Presented by Bryony MacKenzie. Featuring Dr Danielle Stewart, National Grid; Paolo Brunengo, KBR; Frank Kiesslich and Nan Liu, Shell Catalysts & Technologies. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| LNG: the world’s secure, flexible, affordable, lower-carbon fuel? | 08 Jul 2025 | 00:32:51 | |
Demand for liquefied natural gas – or LNG – continues to grow due to its potential to deliver flexible energy around the world. It has its critics, but LNG plays an important role in the energy transition by helping to displace coal and supporting renewable power generation. In this episode, hosts Bryony and Eddie hear from Shell's President of Integrated Gas, Cederic Cremers, on why global demand for LNG is expected to grow, the importance of addressing methane emissions, and Shell's LNG ambitions. Read more about liquefied natural gas Learn more about The Energy Podcast The Energy Podcast is a Starstruck Media production for Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| The future of work: can the next generation bring energy into a new era? | 08 Nov 2021 | 00:21:40 | |
Jobs in the energy industry are changing and so are the skills needed to make the energy transition happen. What will it take for the workforce to keep up and who is leading the push for new ideas? Presented by Bryony MacKenzie. Featuring Dr Anjlee Prakash, Learning Links Foundation; Mansuri Maryam and Neha Pandey, students and Nxplorers participants and Harry Brekelmans, Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Energy in Latin America: what you need to know | 21 Oct 2021 | 00:23:38 | |
In a lively debate, a panel of experts examine the big issues around lowering emissions by 2050. Hosted by Georgie Barrat and featuring Andrea Heins, Chair at the Argentine Committee of the World Energy Council; Jimena Marvan Santin, Executive Director of Chapter Zero México; Thiago Barral, Executive President of the Energy Research Office and Maarten Wetselaar, Shell’s Integrated Gas, Renewables and Energy Solutions Director.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Net zero by 2050: is CCS going fast enough? | 14 Oct 2021 | 00:18:13 | |
The technology is proven but what needs to happen for carbon capture to help the world tackle climate change? Presented by Bryony MacKenzie. Featuring Charlotte Hartley, Pale Blue Dot; Dr Nilay Shah, Madhu Datta and Aulia Rahmayanti, Imperial college London; Roger Highfield, Science Museum, London and Syrie Crouch, Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| The world and 1.5 C: what will it take to… work with nature to reduce emissions? | 13 Oct 2021 | 00:12:20 | |
In conversation with the people who can make a difference. Featuring Rod Taylor, World Resources Institute and Flora Ji Qin, Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| The world and 1.5 C: what will it take to…finance the drive to a net-zero future? | 04 Oct 2021 | 00:14:19 | |
As COP26 approaches, we hear from experts who can make a difference when it comes to sustainable finance. Presented by Julia Streets and featuring Hiro Mizuno, UN special envoy on innovative finance and sustainable investments, Huw van Steenis, Sustainable Finance Chair and Senior Adviser to the CEO at UBS and Jessica Uhl, CFO at Shell See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| The world and 1.5 C: what will it take to... transform the energy system? | 16 Sep 2021 | 00:12:51 | |
As COP26 approaches, The Energy Podcast explores key themes and speaks to experts who can make a difference. Presented by Julia Streets; featuring, Mechthild Wörsdörfer, IEA and Mallika Ishwaran, Chief Economist, Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Carbon-neutral cities: dream or reality? | 23 Aug 2021 | 00:22:02 | |
They cover just 3% of the earth’s land surface, but are responsible for more than 70% of all carbon emissions. What will it take to make cities around the world cleaner? Presented by Bryony MacKenzie. Featuring Lauren Sorkin, Resilient Cities Network; Aziza Makhbouch, OECD; Fred Åkerboom, City of Rotterdam, Puneet verma, Mission Green Delhi; Emily Tan, Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Biofuels: where next? | 07 Jun 2021 | 00:23:42 | |
Could the world ever be powered from waste? Growing crops for fuel instead of food remains controversial, but biofuel technology is advancing. What's the future when it comes to biofuels? Presented by Bryony MacKenzie. Featuring Glenn Hurowitz, Mighty Earth; Leo Pontes, Raizen; Dr Jem Woods, Imperial College London; Matt Herman, National Biodiesel Board; Matthew Tipper, Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Can shipping navigate to net zero? | 15 Dec 2020 | 00:25:17 | |
It’s the backbone of global trade, but there’s a challenge when it comes to lowering carbon emissions. What will it take to get shipping in to shape? Presented by Bryony MacKenzie. Featuring Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, DNV GL Maritime; Randy Chen, Wan Hai Lines; Allard Castelein, Port of Rotterdam; Tarek Helmi, Deloitte; Aoife O' Leary, Environmental Defense Fund; Karrie Trauth, Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| The Great Energy Debate: your questions answered | 26 Nov 2020 | 00:25:33 | |
How will the world get to net-zero emissions? Is the energy industry part of the problem or the solution? The Energy Podcast hears from students in Australia putting some of the big questions to the energy experts. Presented by Bryony MacKenzie. Featuring Georgie Barrat, technology journalist and debate host; Simon Holmes à Court, Climate and Energy College at Melbourne University; Dr Arunabha Ghosh, Council on Energy, Environment and Water; Claire O’ Neil, World Business Council for Sustainable Development; Maarten Wetselaar, Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| What could the future of energy look like? Explore the forward-facing world of scenarios | 24 Jun 2025 | 00:09:34 | |
To make better decisions today, we need to challenge our assumptions about the future. For half a century, that’s what Shell’s scenarios have done. In this bonus episode, explore how and why scenarios are developed – and the three distinct visions of the future presented by Shell’s latest report. Host Eddie is joined by Peter Wood, Shell’s Chief Energy Adviser, and Dr. Mallika Ishwaran, its Chief Economist. Learn more about The Energy Podcast Explore the 2025 Energy Security Scenarios The Energy Podcast is a Starstruck Media production for Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Are electric vehicles finally in the fast lane? | 02 Nov 2020 | 00:26:48 | |
With lockdowns and remote working, transport is at a crossroads. Could COVID-19 accelerate a future green recovery? The Energy Podcast investigates. Presented by Bryony MacKenzie. Featuring James Taylor, Zipcar; Baroness Brown of Cambridge, UK Committee on Climate Change; Nikos Tsafos, Center for Strategic and International Studies; Mel Lane, New Motion and Roger Hunter, Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Off-grid: why doesn't everyone have access to energy? | 05 Oct 2020 | 00:24:26 | |
800 million people around the world live without power. Why? And will COVID-19 make fixing it harder? The Energy Podcast investigates. Presented by Bryony MacKenzie. Featuring Benjamin Lensiku, livestock herder, Kenya; Saswat Souray Panda, Convenor, India; Ned Tozun, d.Light; Kat Harrison, 60 Decibels; Ignacio de Calonje, International Finance Corporation, Marc van Gerven, Shell. Additional music by Oscar Kemboi. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Natural Gas: A fuel fit for the future? | 03 Aug 2020 | 00:21:05 | |
Lockdowns are being lifted, energy demand is on the rise and countries are trying to kick start their economies. Many people are calling for lower-carbon energy to be front and centre of future economic plans. Could natural gas be part of the solution? Presented by Bryony MacKenzie. Featuring Tim Gould, International Energy Agency; Erin Blanton, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University; Ben Ratner, Environmental Defense Fund; Claire Harris, Shell; Alex Steinberg, Edgar Grasse Hauliers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Smart Energy: How Clever will AI become? | 08 Jul 2020 | 00:24:28 | |
Are robots going to take over the world? Not quite, but they could save lives. In this episode, a panel of AI experts bust perpetual myths and tackle the big questions around artificial intelligence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Special episode - COVID-19: extraordinary stories from China | 07 May 2020 | 00:18:32 | |
How has the pandemic changed life in China and the future of energy? And who are the people who kept life going under lockdown? The Energy Podcast takes a look at China in this special episode. Presented by Bryony MacKenzie. Featuring Sheng Zhang, Shell China; Changhua Wu, Beijing Future Innovation Center; Xiaofang Ren, Shell China Retail worker; Yuan Zhang, Project Development Manager, Shell Hubei Energy Company. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Divide or unite: Do the generations agree on the future of energy? | 23 Dec 2019 | 00:16:33 | |
Could Shell do more to tackle climate change? Why don't they stop producing oil and gas? And what are the challenges around the transition to lower-carbon energy? The Energy Podcast hears from students putting some of the big questions to one of Shell's most senior leaders and energy experts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Trees: one way to tackle climate change? | 17 Oct 2019 | 00:27:54 | |
Can conserving and planting trees help address climate change? And if so, to what effect? As Shell launches its nature-based solutions programme in the UK, The Energy Podcast looks at the debate. Presented by Kunal Dutta and Katharine Kerr. Featuring Nathalie Seddon, Oxford University; Duncan McLaren, Lancaster University; Sylvo Thijsen, Staatsbosbeheer & Alex Nevill, Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Why doesn’t Shell stop producing oil and gas? | 13 Jun 2019 | 00:16:53 | |
Could Shell do more when it comes to tackling climate change? Why doesn’t the company simply stop producing oil and gas? And is there enough understanding of the challenges of a transition to lower-carbon energy? The Energy Podcast puts some of the big questions to one of Shell’s most senior leaders. Presented by Kunal Dutta. With Maarten Wetselaar, Integrated Gas & New Energies Director at Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Blockchain: has the hype peaked? | 16 May 2019 | 00:19:50 | |
It was once hailed as the technology that would change everything. From banking to shipping, retail and, of course, energy. But has the hype surrounding Blockchain now peaked? If so, what is left? Could Blockchain change the energy industry? And, before we even get there, what on earth is it? Presented by Kunal Dutta. Featuring JoJo Hubbard, Electron; Scott Kessler, LO3 Energy; David Gerard, author Attack of the 50 Foot Blockchain & Judith Durkin, Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Carbon Capture and Storage: a technology to tackle climate change? | 07 May 2019 | 00:17:14 | |
It has been billed as hugely important in the fight against climate change. But what exactly is carbon capture and storage? How can it help meet the Paris Agreement goals? And why are there fewer than 30 working projects around the world? Presented by Kunal Dutta. Featuring Stuart Haszeldine, University of Edinburgh (UK); Simon Holmes à Court, Melbourne University (Australia); Anne Halladay, Quest & David Hone, Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Energy transition explained | 10 Jun 2025 | 00:35:10 | |
Where are we in the global transition from fossil fuels to low-carbon energy? In the first episode of a new season, hosts Bryony and Eddie are joined by Peter Wood, Shell’s Chief Energy Advisor, for a lively conversation taking stock of the world’s energy system today. How is it evolving – and where? What’s driving the pace of progress – and holding it back? And what’s Shell’s role in all of that? Listen for unique insights into an energy system that enables everything we do. Learn more about The Energy Podcast The Energy Podcast is a Starstruck Media production for Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Hydrogen: a fuel of the future? | 18 Apr 2019 | 00:21:24 | |
It's the most abundant element in the universe. When produced using renewable energy, it creates no greenhouse gas emissions. So why don’t we hear more about hydrogen? And why aren’t we all driving hydrogen cars? Presented by Kunal Dutta. Featuring John Hunt, Toyota; Ben Madden, Element Energy; Matthew Rooney, Institute of Mechanical Engineers & Matthew Tipper, Shell See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Battery Technology: where could it take us? | 11 Apr 2019 | 00:19:54 | |
With more electric cars and energy storage opportunities, a global race to develop battery technology is underway. How quickly is technology progressing? What is needed to breakthrough? And why should we care about batteries anyway? Presented by Kunal Dutta. Featuring Billy Wu, Imperial College London; Brillpower; Carlton Cummins, Aceleron; Dr Marek Kubik, Fluence & James Frith, Bloomberg. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Coming soon: a new season of The Energy Podcast | 03 Jun 2025 | 00:01:21 | |
The Energy Podcast from Shell is the home of conversation about the energy that powers our world. In this new season, we bring together our own experts and guests on the big topics in energy, from liquefied natural gas (LNG), to artificial intelligence (AI), to carbon capture and storage (CCS). New episodes drop every two weeks starting June 10, 2025, and this season you can also watch each episode on YouTube. Learn more about The Energy Podcast The Energy Podcast is a Starstruck Media production for Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Can AI get the world to net zero faster? | 17 Apr 2024 | 00:20:37 | |
Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are helping the energy industry accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future. The Energy Podcast explores how AI is being used today and discusses how to unleash its potential. Presented by Eno Alfred-Adeogun. Featuring Kate Kallot, founder and CEO of Amini, Bob Flint, CEO of Mirico and Amy Challen, Shell’s global head of AI. Additional reporting by Claire François and Berry Mulder. The Energy Podcast is a Fresh Air Production for Shell, produced by Annie Day and Sarah Moore and edited by Eno Alfred-Adeogun. 00:00:00 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: Today on The Energy Podcast.
00:00:07 Audio: I will be working alongside humans to provide assistance and support and will not be replacing any existing jobs. You sure about that, Grace? Yes, I am sure.
00:00:20 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: That’s Nurse Grace speaking at the world's first robot press conference last year. And yes, she’s a robot. Powered by artificial intelligence this humanoid can diagnose illness, deliver treatments, and even offer patients emotional support. Impressive, right? Well, yes, but she’s just one of many examples of AI-enabled machines designed to address some of the world's biggest challenges; social care, disease, hunger, and probably sooner than you think. Consider how deeply AI is already entwined in so much of our daily lives. From work commutes …
00:01:03 Audio: You’ve arrived at your destination.
00:01:04 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: ... to virtual learning …
00:01:07 Audio: (foreign language).
00:01:07 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: ... to, " Alexa, what’s on my to- do list?"
00:01:11 Audio: Subscribe to The Energy Podcast.
00:01:14 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: A global AI revolution isn’t coming, it’s already here. So, could this rapidly advancing technology also tackle the pressing challenge of lowering emissions? Hello, I’m Eno Alfred-Adeogun, and today on The Energy Podcast we ask, can AI get the world to net- zero faster? Joining me to discuss this is Kate Kallot, founder and CEO of the African tech startup Amini. Bob Flint, CEO of methane emission monitoring company Mirico. And Shell's global head of artificial intelligence, Amy Challen. It’s really great to have you all on the episode today. Now, before we delve into the world of AI, a really helpful place to begin is defining what it actually is. Because by the number of definitions I found when researching this episode, that's actually harder to do than it sounds. So let’s briefly see if we can reach a consensus of what it actually is. Kate, coming to you first.
00:02:20 Kate Kallot: For me, I have one simple definition of AI, which is going to literally take one sentence. It is the science to make computers think and take actions like humans.
00:02:30 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: Love it. Brilliant. Brilliant. Amy, what about you? Can you add to that?
00:02:34 Amy Challen: I think I’m going to give a more boring answer. I often think about it compared to software. In software, we write the rules. We say, " If this happens, then that happens," and we define what that rule is. But AI works differently. We give AI a load of historical data, and we say, " You tell us what happens based on the patterns you've observed in the past." And so it can be a bit of surprise what it comes up with. The other thing to watch out for is that if our historical data is biased, if the world has changed, then we're going to see that in the model. So we have to be quite careful.
00:03:10 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: Okay. Bob, no pressure. We’ve got two great answers. Do you have anything to add onto the definition?
00:03:16 Bob Flint: Yeah, I get to go last. I think all of the above, plus extending into areas where humans aren't necessarily good, which is looking at huge volumes of data. So being able to process all the bits and bytes that come from sensors from the real world and floods of information like you would find in an oil and gas company and process that in super high speed.
00:03:40 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: Okay, so now that’s clear, we can turn our attention to how the energy sector is actually harnessing the power of AI. So, Bob, your company, Mirico, it monitors emissions, and then companies can pair the data that you gather with AI, which can then help to combat the emissions found. Can you share some good examples of this pairing in action?
00:04:06 Bob Flint: What we do is primarily we address the issue of methane emissions from energy. And methane is about 30 times worse than carbon dioxide for global warming, so it’s something that we all should be concerned about. The good news is if you stop emitting methane, the world starts to cool pretty much immediately because methane just decomposes in the atmosphere. So that’s why it’s so important. So we scan an area, say, an oil and gas facility, for those emissions. Measurement leads to action, leads to reduction, and we can then put that data into one of Shell's systems of record, say a digital twin.
00:04:48 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: On the digital twin, because that's another concept I feel like I've read a lot about as well. Could you just expand on what that is?
00:04:54 Bob Flint: A digital twin would be a replica of something in the real world, a refinery, a rig and it sits in silico, in a computer rather than in the physical world. So that would enable you to, for example, start making predictions or what-if type of questions on what might happen in the real world in circumstances which you wouldn't want to see. So you might predict what happens if I change temperatures and pressures in a way that might be dangerous. Well, I can do that in a computer. I wouldn’t want to do that in the real world.
00:05:30 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: Now, considering the ambitious climate targets that have been set worldwide, it's really no wonder that people are looking to AI for solutions. Amy, what would you say are the main ways that AI is enabling a low-carbon energy system?
00:05:47 Amy Challen: I think there are four main ways it’s already doing this and is going to continue in the future. Firstly, it can improve the efficiency of everything we're already doing. Whether that’s renewables or hydrocarbons, a couple of percentage points of efficiency can make a difference to the productivity of our energy system and can reduce CO2 emissions and methane emissions. The second one is I don't think we're going to enable a widespread renewable system without having really excellent forecasting and optimisation, two things that AI is incredibly good at. Because renewables like wind and solar, they're intermittent. Sometimes the wind blows, sometimes the sun shines, sometimes it doesn't, and it's not entirely predictable. So, you use AI to predict when that will happen and to optimise how you use your battery, how you buy and sell energy to make sure that we always have the energy supply when we need it. The third way is through everything we can do in lab sciences, in research and development there, and in design of a new energy components and systems. So for example, with the lab sciences, you have a whole process of research you go through. You look at papers and patents to have an idea of what to research on. AI can really speed up your search there and find the right things to be looking at to make suggestions. And finally, it’s got a big role to play in monitoring. If we don’t know what the current situation is in terms of working out where methane emissions is, then we don't have a baseline, and we can't track. And that’s hugely important to be able to know what's effective, what's not, and where are we going.
00:07:25 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: Kate, you’re based in Africa, so it'd be really, really good if you could paint a picture of the role AI is playing on the continent, if at all, in different energy systems.
00:07:37 Kate Kallot: Africa is still the most data- scarce continent. We think about the data scarcity affecting many different places, whether it's having billions of people that are still unconnected, whether it's having data scarcity when it comes to satellite imagery, when it comes to meteorological data. So when we think about the transformative role of AI in Africa a little bit more broadly, there's still step one that needs to be fixed, which is the data scarcity. Now, when it comes to where AI can be applied, it's important to remind everyone that AI is just a tool, and it's not going to come and transform everything and make everything better – it’s a means to an end. It’s not actually the end. So when we think about the solutions that AI will enable to build, we always have to go back to the foundation, which is what problem we're trying to solve.
00:08:28 Amy Challen: And could I build on something Kate just said as well, which is there's no AI without data, absolutely foundational. But also, AI and data, they're not the answer to the energy transition. They’re both mega-enablers of it, but fundamentally, you have to have the physical and chemical technologies and a huge change in the way we work and the way we live in order to make that happen.
00:08:50 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: There’s an old adage, but don't ask me to quote where this came from. But I bet you might have heard of this, that you can't manage what you can't measure. So, with that in mind, Bob, how important is it to not only track greenhouse gas emissions, but to do so accurately?
00:09:11 Bob Flint: As you say, you stand no chance of understanding what to do if you don't know what the baseline is. And actually, maybe people think emissions often come from leaks, a flange that isn't quite tightened properly. In many cases, emissions like methane just come from the way that an asset is being managed. And actually, you can start to manage the asset in a different way if you know why emissions are happening. You can start to maybe change the way in which it's loaded and unloaded or even cleaned. And then the last piece where AI could really help in emissions is helping to optimise. So in that digital world, if you have got a digital twin and you're able to run some sophisticated algorithms, you can start to say, " Well, I'm not going to tolerate last year's emissions. This year, I’m going to make less. And I’m going to set myself a target, and I'm going to meet or exceed that target.
00:10:04 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: Now, with the speed at which technology is advancing, the potential solutions that will arise through AI are vast. And when it comes to the energy sector, we're already seeing that potential turned into reality. Take for instance the drone parked in a box at Shell's Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam in the Netherlands, where crude oil is processed. Claire François is with Shell’s robotics expert, Berry Mulder, to find out how the drone uses AI to monitor the site and detect leaks.
00:10:36 Berry Mulder: So, there’s actually no one on site to fly the drones. They’re sitting remotely, and the drones go around a few times a week to scan for emissions, to check on rooftops, and all the other things that operators typically go around for.
00:10:53 Claire François: Well, we’ve just seen the drone fly off. Can you tell us what it's doing now?
00:10:56 Berry Mulder: Looking at the tanks from above, so basically saving us many hours a day to, well, not walk up to the tanks every time. It just brings us the pictures. So, the people, the operations, they look at the pictures as if they would walk around and then interpret what needs to be done to the top of the tanks.
00:11:13 Claire François: And so how is AI part of this process?
00:11:17 Berry Mulder: Right now, people are still looking at the pictures because it's a learning process for all of it. We expect that AI machine vision analytics will help us to analyse our pictures faster and better in the near term, but just spotting the differences, the anomalies, corrosion or things that broke or emissions leaks similar to what we do with the ground robots right now.
00:11:38 Claire François: Can you tell us how a drone like this and your other robots in the field are helping to detect methane emissions or broader emissions?
00:11:46 Berry Mulder: So really having additional sensors on the ground and in the sky to detect leaks while they're still small, and so we can fix them while they're still small and not big. And that’s where having additional noses fly and drive around really helps us if you take it to the AI part. It’s also eventually sort of making correlations. Where are the sources coming from? Where is it building up faster? We expect it will even help us in emergency responses, try to detect the plumes, the concentrations faster than we do today.
00:12:23 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: As Berry just demonstrated, technical solutions to help reduce emissions already exist. But despite that, according to the United Nations, the world is falling short of its climate goals. How can AI be a better companion to existing digital technologies, Bob, to drive progress more quickly?
00:12:44 Bob Flint: Most operating companies would have vast data sets already. AI can play a role in just mining that data for information and then surfacing that so that it can be acted upon. The other thing I just want to point out is that the emissions challenge, and we heard something of that drone solution in that clip, is really about deploying lots of different solutions. There’s no single silver bullet in that measurement journey. So, you’ll probably have some satellite systems, some drone systems, some ground sensors, maybe even some robots. And bringing all those diverse data sets together is a big challenge, and AI can really help us do that. So, build one picture of what's happening in the real world from a set of very disparate data sets and then using that to drive decision- making. That will be a wonderful application.
00:13:43 Amy Challen: And that’s essentially what a digital twin is at the end of the day. It’s a combination of all these different data sources. So, like you say, Bob, your laser- based detection of methane using machine vision techniques to do that, and then all the other collection of data about, say, the operation of an asset, and you pull that together. And as Berry in the extract just said, you're going from quick detection of leaks, which you can shut down as quickly as possible, to prediction of leaks. So, you’re much less likely to happen because you can fix things in advance, you can work out where there's risk, and you can do preventative maintenance, so it doesn't have to happen. And that’s the aim at the end of the day, is how you can act in advance to reduce emissions rather than just react quickly.
00:14:23 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: Now, we haven't touched on an important group I think that we need to consider in this conversation, and that's energy customers, both businesses and the public. What benefits could AI offer that will encourage them to reduce their own emissions? Bob can I ask you that?
00:14:41 Bob Flint: Yeah, I think whether it's consumers or businesses, actually, energy is unfortunately a topic that's quite hard to get people to engage with. And one of the methods of doing that is price. We all feel energy is something that is visible when we get the bill. But in order to be energy efficient, maybe change our behaviours takes quite a lot of effort, and I think AI can really help us with taking away some of that friction by giving us maybe some price signals, “Here's a discount if you do something." Like maybe in the US, there are demand reduction programs, which are run by businesses for businesses, encouraging people to switch off their refrigerators and air conditioning systems for an hour during peak times. And it could even start to automate some of those interventions, turn things off automatically. So, taking away some of the pain of acting responsibly for people who want to do the right thing but who are busy and need to find the time to do it, I think AI will play a huge role in that.
00:15:48 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: AI may be helping to find solutions to reduce emissions, but we also need to consider the vast amount of energy that's used to develop and run it, which risks increasing the world's emissions. I’m thinking particularly about the huge amount of energy that's used to run data centers. What do you think is the most important action that the tech industry must take to prevent AI from contributing itself to global warming, Kate?
00:16:23 Kate Kallot: The technology has made so much advancements today that you don't actually need to build large scale data centres everywhere to be able to run the amount of compute that you need. There are new ways to do it. They’re decentralised ways, power- efficient ways. The industry is heading towards the right direction, but I think there's still a lot of work to do when it comes to understanding what that really means on the ground. For example, understanding that most of the compute that you need, you need it for the training. When it comes to deploying AI systems, it doesn't require that amount of compute. So, can you find innovative ways to share the computes between countries, between industry, between companies? Can you find innovative ways to build decentralised data centres or decentralised computing infrastructure where you have smaller amount of compute in different regions that are linked together, and different actors can get access to that compute at different times or different days?
00:17:21 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: Amy, is there any way we can stop AI becoming a monster in itself?
00:17:27 Amy Challen: Absolutely agree with Kate. Even more fundamentally, though, you can also ask yourselves, "Do you need to train this model?" So I think what I see externally is the technology companies in particular, they're in a kind of arms race to get the best generic large language model. Do we need 10 of them or do we just need a couple? Within Shell, certainly, I really challenge everyone, do we need to do this? And to Kate’s point, it's a lot more effort to train a model than just to deploy it. So if you’ve already got a really good core model, which you can just adjust slightly, whether through fine-tuning or prompt engineering, let's do the minimum we have to because that will save a lot of energy.
00:18:06 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: Now, before we close, I'm going to put each of you on the hot seat. I don’t know if you've already been feeling like you were on one, but it's about to get hotter! Because I want each of you in no more than 20 seconds to say what you think the most exciting development in the energy sector you expect or want to see AI transform in the future. Bob, let’s start with you.
00:18:30 Bob Flint: Ooh, okay. Great question. I think the bit we haven't really got to yet is thinking about energy as a system. How do we interconnect the traditional bits of that system, like the fossil parts with the new parts, like renewables and storage and hydrogen, to create a whole new ways of working? I think that’s really one of the areas where AI is going to have to be deployed if we're going to break down some of those barriers. Look at complex new areas like hydrogen, and use them most effectively.
00:19:06 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: Okay. Kate, same question to you.
00:19:09 Kate Kallot: I’m going to be a bit biased because I run a climate tech company, but for me is around exploration. So, making sure that using AI actually to better understand and assess the reserves, but also avoiding the destruction of more biodiversity.
00:19:26 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: And, Amy, what do you think?
00:19:28 Amy Challen: I think I’ll say it’s this use of AI in research and development and in design that I think we're only scratching the surface in how quickly we could speed up the advancement of development of materials, advancement of development of new chemical solutions, and in designs for better, more efficient assets.
00:19:51 Eno Alfred-Adeogun: Kate Kallot, Bob Flint, Amy Challen, thank you all so much for your incredible, insightful, and thought-provoking contributions today. Really great. You’ve been listening to The Energy Podcast brought to you by Shell. Be sure to follow and subscribe for free wherever you get your podcasts, so you don't miss a single episode. The Energy Podcast is a Fresh Air production, and the views you've heard today from individuals not affiliated with Shell are their own and not Shell PLC or its affiliates. I’m Eno Alfred- Adeogun. Thank you for listening. Goodbye. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| How Can Economies Thrive While The World Cuts Carbon? | 18 Jan 2024 | 00:19:00 | |
As countries across the world strive to reach their climate targets, they must make sure that the move to a cleaner energy system supports economic growth. The Energy Podcast explores this difficult balancing act. Presented by Julia Streets. Featuring Dr Rob Charnock of the Metis Institute for Climate Strategy, climate scientist and advisor Dr Yvonne Maingey-Muriuki and Shell’s chief economist Dr Mallika Ishwaran. The Energy Podcast is a Fresh Air Production for Shell, produced by Annie Day and Sarah Moore, and edited by Eno Alfred-Adeogun. Episode Transcription: 00:00:00 Julia Streets: Today on The Energy Podcast.
00:00:07 Speaker 2: Economic growth and developmental sustainability are not mutually exclusive.
00:00:13 Speaker 3: With a strong talent pool of young entrepreneurs and qualified engineers, we are pressing forward with solutions in climate-smart agriculture, water conservation, clean energy innovations, and more.
00:00:29 Speaker 4: Let us come together to build resilient, sustainable and green businesses, communities, and countries of the future.
00:00:39 Julia Streets: The dust has settled on COP28, and the main takeaway was clear; the world is falling short of its climate targets. But as the leaders who gathered at the conference highlighted, there remains an appetite to do better while simultaneously ensuring economies keep turning. The question is, how? The climate summit showcased diverse approaches. Some nations prioritised boosting the supply of lower carbon energy to meet demand and remain competitive. Others advocated for increasing funding in renewables to attract investment and spur the creation of more jobs. And while some countries pushed for a complete phase-out of all fossil fuels, others favoured a phase-down, where coal, oil, and gas usage is reduced rather than eliminated as a more economically viable plan. The reality is, different solutions will be needed in different places, and countries will move at different paces to achieve net- zero. Hello, I'm Julia Streets, and today on the Energy Podcast as we look ahead to 2024, we ask: how can economies thrive while the world cuts carbon? Joining me today are guests, Dr Yvonne Maingey-Muriuki, who is a climate scientist and strategic practitioner to organisations operating in Africa. Dr Rob Charnock who is director of the Metis Institute for Climate Strategy, and Shell's chief economist, Dr Mallika Ishwaran. Now, before we look ahead to what this year and beyond may have in store, let's take a moment to reflect on where things currently stand. Rob, I'm going to come to you. How would you rate the current global progress in cutting carbon?
00:02:27 Dr Rob Charnock: I think what was incredibly interesting to see at the recent COP, was that it's the first global stocktake, so we really get a sense of how close we are to being on track towards the targets set out in the Paris Agreement. And what I thought was very encouraging is, previously we thought we were on track for somewhere between 2. 7 to 3.6 degrees of warming, but as we get more and more commitments coming through that are updated as well after a few years, we see that we're getting closer. Now, that's not to say we're on track for 1. 5 or even well below two degrees at the moment.
00:02:58 Julia Streets: Some areas of the economy are more challenging to decarbonise than others. I mean, I think particularly industry and transport as well, but they are central to economic growth. I'm curious to think about what's the way forward, and Mallika, I'd love to come to you for your thoughts on that.
00:03:16 Dr Mallika Ishwaran: So what we are seeing is there's a sector by sector difference in how the different sectors are progressing in the transition. I think you can see the evidence is there that power is decarbonising, renewables are coming in at scale and really are changing and disrupting the system. But there are other sectors. I would put passenger EVs as part of the transport segment as something that is changing rapidly. But there are other bits of the transport segment not transforming as easily, and these are areas that require either high heat or they require dense energy molecules, and you can't do that with electricity unfortunately. So they're requiring things like hydrogen or sustainable biofuels, and these are taking a little bit longer to bring to market and to commercialise. So they're still quite a bit more expensive than the fuels we use today. And so the key there is, how do we accelerate the process of commercialisation of these kinds of fuels so that the whole world is changing and transforming to low carbon at pace at the same time by 2050.
00:04:17 Julia Streets: Rob, I'd love to get your thoughts on this. The incentives that are needed in order to encourage consumers to choose lower carbon goods and services that will drive down cost and also increase adoption.
00:04:29 Dr Rob Charnock: Over time we've heard this narrative that low carbon might be more expensive, but as time goes by, you quickly find that the cost profile decreases rapidly, and frankly beyond the forecasts as well. So, I would say, even the economic reason for shifting consumer demand is already coming online in most segments, and this will continue to do so. I also think shifting customer preferences and shifting demands suggest, if you are not properly tackling the carbon profile of your products or even the recyclability of those products afterwards, there is going to be a significant shift away from what you're selling.
00:05:05 Julia Streets: There's clearly a sense, we need to move at pace and we need to move at scale. I'd like to return to COP28, because one of the key topics was about phasing out fossil fuels versus the phasing down of fossil fuels, but the final deal made no mention of either. And instead, we note that the pledge talked about the transitioning away from fossil fuels. So not phasing out, not phasing down, but transitioning away. And Yvonne, I think particularly of a remark made by Ruth Nankabirwa who is Uganda's energy minister. She had a very interesting take on this, and let me just read what she told journalists during COP28: “To tell Uganda to stop fossil fuels, it is really an insult. It is like you are telling Uganda to stay in poverty." I'd love to get your thoughts on that. How would you respond to that?
00:06:00 Dr Yvonne Maingey-Muriuki: I mean, it's a really sort of difficult position to be in. I think on the one hand, African governments, and I'm speaking specifically about the Kenyan government, have made their intentions very clear; we are going to foster low carbon resilient development pathways. If you look at Kenya as an example, where I'm based, where I'm from, 80% of our energy is already renewable. We're looking at more geothermal, hydro, solar. The majority of our grid is actually already quite green. The opportunity within the continent is quite significant to focus on it and to drive renewable energy to power our economy. On the other hand, it's important to think about how Africa is powered specifically, because this is where the root cause of the problem is. About 43% of the total population in Africa lack access to basic electricity. This means that about 600 million people right now do not have access to energy. I think the first question for the African continent is just ensuring that we have access to energy first. But, we have to contend with the reality that African economies for the first time, some of which have just discovered oil, I'm talking about Kenya, looking at one of the most impoverished parts of the country, Turkana, which discovered oil four, five years ago. And expecting some of these local economies to not exploit this resource, I think is a bit rich, particularly from the developed countries. But then we also have to think about in the context of what is the actual contribution to emissions. Look at Tanzania, another great example where they have natural gas deposits, which they have on many occasions shown a desire to develop and to exploit. But when we look at the calculations, Africa already accounts for maybe less than 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. If Tanzania was to develop all of their natural gas deposits, you are looking at an increase of about 0. 4 to 0. 6% of global emissions. These are economies that do have access to these resources which they have an interest to develop, which they have a right to develop, and which is why we talk about a just transition.
00:08:00 Julia Streets: Rob, how realistic is it to expect developing nations to leapfrog traditional fossil fuels?
00:08:08 Dr Rob Charnock: To me, the critical point in that is how they're going to pay for it. Where is the financing going to come from to look at alternatives? And I think what's really interesting that we've seen from the Asian Development Bank recently is a project in Southeast Asia called the Energy Transition Mechanism. And this recognises that countries have already invested quite heavily in fossil fuel infrastructure, and the expected life of those assets, those coal-fired power stations, is always decades. So what the Asian Development Bank has done through the Energy Transition Mechanism, is provide the financing of the incentives to retire those assets early, and to replace that energy generation with renewable alternatives. Now, the critical piece in this as well is that when you retire a coal-fired power plant, for example, that often supports a community nearby or several communities. So the key piece is to retrain those communities as well to transition them into new jobs, potentially green jobs linked to the renewable energy sector as well. So it's not just about new energy capabilities being invested in, but also retiring fossil fuel, carbon-intensive assets, and replacing those with renewable.
00:09:17 Julia Streets: Mallika, how would you respond to that?
00:09:19 Dr Mallika Ishwaran: I think it's worth dividing the world up in this regard. We have advanced economies who've grown up, if you like, on traditional fossil fuels, and have a lot of infrastructure built around that, and that will take effort to change and to transform. But I think these are economies that have reached an advanced stage of economic development, have the financial resources to be able to do it. We also have another group of countries who are, if you like, on the development trajectory. And I think here there's a real opportunity for them to leapfrog over fossil fuels, and put in place infrastructures and other technologies that are low carbon to start with. So they don't start down the path of fossil fuel development, but leapfrog to something that's better and more sustainable.
00:10:03 Julia Streets: Yvonne, we can't have a discussion about this without referring to the question of carbon markets. So a two part question to you. Number one is, what are they, and secondly, how important are they?
00:10:15 Dr Yvonne Maingey-Muriuki: A carbon market is essentially an opportunity for organisations, companies, countries that have net- zero ambitions and targets to meet them by offsetting their emissions on a global market. So they pay to pollute. Essentially that's what the carbon market is. Is it a significant opportunity? Absolutely, particularly if you are coming from a continent like Africa, which is rich in natural resources, and we have opportunities to remove carbon from the atmosphere and we can actually be paid for those services, it absolutely presents an opportunity for the continent to generate much-needed finance for adaptation.
00:10:53 Julia Streets: I wonder if I could push the conversation on a little bit, because one of the energy solutions of choice is increasingly liquefied natural gas or LNG, which is produced by cooling gas. And such is the case in India where the number of customers using LNG is growing. And let's find out why. Dhirendra Mishra is Shell's LNG terminal manager at its site in Hazira in India.
00:11:20 Dhirendra Mishra: I'm speaking to you from the seawater area. You can hear the seawater pumps running in the background. What we do here is, we receive LNG in large LNG cargo ships, and this cargo is received at minus 160 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, it is transferred from the LNG cargo to the shore-based LNG tanks where it is stored. From these tanks, with the help of multiple booster pumps, we supply this LNG to LNG vaporisers, which use seawater to vaporise the LNG. Now, this regasified LNG is transferred through a 14-kilometre pipeline to a metering station, and it is supplied to various grids. We are connected to all the grids in the country, so we can reach to any customer who is connected to the grid. We are an integral part of the gas infrastructure and supply chain of India that supports various industries, like city gas distribution, steel manufacturing, fertiliser, refinery, chemicals, and other manufacturing sectors. Now, with the government of India's vision of increasing the share of natural gas in the fuel mix, and this coupled with the high growth of Indian economy, we expect the gas market to grow. And with this, we expect to supply more and more LNG fuel to the country in the coming years.
00:12:52 Julia Streets: As Dhirendra was just saying, the demand for LNG in the country is continuing to rise. What role, if any, do you see LNG playing globally in future energy systems? Mallika, can I come to you?
00:13:09 Dr Mallika Ishwaran: Yes, thank you. Great question. I think the key here is to acknowledge the fact that this transition is not going to happen overnight. You're changing an entire energy ecosystem. So it's not just the supply, you're also changing the infrastructure, you're changing patterns of demand, and that's going to take time to happen. And I think in that transition, there is a role for natural gas. We see that in our Shell scenario outlooks, we see it in the outlooks from other groups, like the International Energy Agency. And it's worth noting that within natural gas, LNG or liquefied natural gas provides a much more flexible source of gas, because you're not tied to pipelines going from point X to point Y. LNG is able to respond and be moved around where demand is, so it provides a more flexible way of delivering gas. Now, gas itself can help lower emissions during the transition, particularly in sectors like power generation where it could potentially displace coal. It could also help increase energy security of the new low carbon energy system by complementing renewables and the intermittent nature of their generation. So in both of these instances, gas provides a lower carbon alternative to, for example, coal. Now, it is important in the longer term to drive down emissions from gas itself, for example, through carbon capture and storage, as well as reducing methane emissions from the production transport and use of natural gas. And of course, Shell is very active in this space.
00:14:42 Julia Streets: So let's look ahead to the future. Some critics would caution against relying too heavily on technological innovations as a means to bridge the gap between economic growth and carbon reduction. Rob, love to get your thoughts on that.
00:14:54 Dr Rob Charnock: I suppose my thought is that the critics are quite right. If we put too much emphasis on technological solutions and don't explore all other options available to us, that's a huge risk to take. I think my attitude with tackling climate change is that it's not about one solution, it's much more about solutions on all fronts, and making steady progress on all fronts. Whether we can deploy technology at the scale that's needed across the entire globe, is very much in question.
00:15:21 Julia Streets: It's been phenomenal hearing all three of you and your points of view on this, and I think there's one undeniable thread that runs through all of this, which is the question of cost. I'm curious to get your views on how important it is for countries to build lower carbon energy systems that are secure and are affordable, without compromising economic competitiveness and arguably growth. Mallika, I'm going to come to you first as the chief economist.
00:15:48 Dr Mallika Ishwaran: If you want to have an energy transition that is sustained, and this is not something we want to do for one or two years. We need to sustain this level of effort over the next almost three decades. And in order to do that, you have to have a proposition where there is an economic benefit to countries from undertaking this. Clearly there are benefits from addressing the impacts of climate change, but I think what we are seeing now is that increasingly countries are seeing the economic benefits and the opportunities in the low carbon space for manufacturing the new kinds of solar panels or wind turbines that are needed, or the electrolysers, and becoming the manufacturing workshop for low carbon equipment, goods solutions. And that could be a basis of driving economic growth in a country, creating new types of jobs, and at the same time, you're creating a better natural environment in which citizens can thrive.
00:16:42 Julia Streets: It's been a phenomenal conversation because we've discussed this from so many different points of view. To close us out today, I would like to ask each of you in 20 seconds or less to share one key development, however big or small, that needs to happen this year to address this question of cutting world carbon emissions. Yvonne, your thoughts.
00:17:02 Dr Yvonne Maingey-Muriuki: Higher price on carbon. I think if we are able to achieve that and we can charge more for polluting entities, then we'd have a great incentive for them to stop.
00:17:12 Julia Streets: And Rob, your thoughts.
00:17:12 Dr Rob Charnock: I think to me, it's really critical to see how the Loss and Damage Fund is operationalised by the World Bank. This is a fund specifically about compensating developing nations who are already feeling the impacts of climate change, as well as needing to put adaptation measures in place.
00:17:32 Julia Streets: Mallika, can I come to you?
00:17:34 Dr Mallika Ishwaran: I would like the global stocktake to have impact, and I would like to see countries nationally determined contributions increased this year.
00:17:43 Julia Streets: My thanks to today's guests, Dr Yvonne Maingey- Muriuki, Dr Rob Charnock, and Dr Mallika Ishwaran. This episode marks the end of an amazing series where we've delved into some fascinating and some really challenging topics. From electric vehicle infrastructure to the future of oil and gas, from carbon markets and the impact of global tensions in cutting carbon. This season has demonstrated there are many lanes on the roads to net- zero. And if you've missed any of those or any previous episodes, you could still go back and download them for free wherever you get your podcasts. And don't forget to hit follow so you don't miss any future episodes. You've been listening to The Energy Podcast, brought to you by Shell. The Energy Podcast is a Fresh Air production, and I must remind you that the views you've heard today from individuals not affiliated with Shell, are their own and not Shell PLC or its affiliates. I'm Julia Streets. Thank you for listening and goodbye. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Is There A Role For Oil And Gas In The Journey To Net Zero? | 12 Oct 2023 | 00:26:37 | |
As the world grapples with the urgent challenge of climate change, the energy industry is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while continuing to deliver the secure and affordable energy people need today. Is switching to renewables the answer, and do oil and gas have a role to play? Presented by Julia Streets. Featuring Dr Bassam Fattouh of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, Sian Lloyd-Rees of Mainstream Renewable Power and Shell’s Zoe Yujnovich. The Energy Podcast is a Fresh Air Production for Shell, produced by Annie Day and Sarah Moore, and edited by Molly Lynch and Sophie Curtis.
TRANSCRIPT Shell The Energy Podcast 00:00:00 00:00:07 00:00:16 00:00:26 00:00:34 00:02:10 00:03:12 00:03:28 00:04:39 00:04:44 00:05:56 00:06:16 00:07:23 00:07:30 00:09:09 00:09:38 00:10:38 00:10:43 00:12:28 00:12:34 00:13:24 00:13:26 00:15:36 00:15:53 00:17:24 00:17:33 00:18:57 00:18:59 00:20:34 00:20:43 00:22:14 00:22:16 00:23:06 00:23:09 00:24:15 00:24:26 00:24:53 00:24:59 00:25:40 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Are Roads Ready For Electric Vehicles? | 14 Jul 2023 | 00:22:16 | |
The electric vehicle (EV) market is booming and widespread adoption of EVs is critical if countries are to realise their climate ambitions. But every new EV on the road increases the demand for convenient, affordable charging. The Energy Podcast investigates how the world is meeting this infrastructure challenge. Presented by Julia Streets. Featuring Elizabeth Connelly of the International Energy Agency, Lucie Mattera from ChargeUP Europe, Ingrid Malmgren of Plug In America and Shell’s Istvan Kapitany. The Energy Podcast is a Fresh Air Production for Shell, produced by Annie Day and Sarah Moore, and edited by Molly Lynch and Sophie Curtis.
TRANSCRIPT Shell The Energy Podcast 00:00 MUSIC BED COMES IN Istvan Kapitany: When this is becoming really the global way of mobility, finally, we really need to be sorting out public charging. 00:29 MUSIC ENDS With me to discuss this are Elizabeth Connelly, transport analyst at the International Energy Agency. Lucie Mattera, Secretary General of the infrastructure industry association, ChargeUp Europe. Ingrid Malmgren, policy director at Plug In America, and Shell's Executive Vice President for Mobility, Istvan Kapitany. 02:16 03:45 03:57 04:55 04:59 05:32 05:34 06:00 06:10 07:30 7:53 09:15 09:40 10:37 10:51 12:11 12:16 13:47 13:52 15:05 15:14 16:29 16:35
18:16 18:45 18:57 19:29 19:34 20:08 20:09 20:31 20:37 MUSIC BED COMES IN 21:18 MUSIC ENDS See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| What does today’s crisis reveal about the future of energy? | The Energy Podcast | 07 Jul 2026 | 00:35:39 | |
What is the ongoing disruption to global energy supplies revealing about the energy system? In this first episode of a new season of The Energy Podcast, we step back from the headlines to examine how the system is responding to the shocks prompted by the Middle East conflict, and what it could mean for the energy transition. With insights from Shell’s Chief Energy Adviser Peter Wood, Chief Economist Mallika Ishwaran, and Chief Climate Change Adviser David Hone, the discussion explores the resilience of global supply, the shifting balance between energy security, affordability and sustainability, and why the energy transition remains complex, uneven and long term. About The Energy Podcast: https://www.shell.com/news-and-insights/the-energy-podcast.html https://www.shell.com/news-and-insights/the-energy-podcast.html More on Shell Scenarios: https://www.shell.com/news-and-insights/scenarios.html Cautionary note: https://www.shell.com/investors/disclaimer-and-cautionary-note.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Shell’s CEO talks transformation, leadership, and the future of energy | 09 Dec 2025 | 00:34:53 | |
In the season finale of The Energy Podcast, Shell’s CEO Wael Sawan reflects on a year of significant change globally. He discusses navigating through uncertainty, accelerating the energy transition, and embracing AI. He also shares how Shell is transforming into a fitter, more competitive company – one better equipped to navigate whatever lies ahead. Tune in for insights into the energy system, the outlook for liquefied natural gas (LNG), and leadership through times of change. Learn more about The Energy Podcast The Energy Podcast is a Starstruck Media production for Shell.
Episode references References to $20-22 billion of capital or investment per year refer to Shell's cash capital expenditure of $20-22 billion per year between 2025-2028. References to distributions of 40-50% of our cash flow from operations (CFFO) refers to Shell's shareholder distributions target of 40-50% of CFFO through the cycle. For more on the reference to $20 billion of capital Shell has employed in power as well as lower-carbon businesses, see Shell's Capital Markets Day 2025 presentation: Delivering more value, with less emissions For more information on Shell’s energy transition targets and ambition, visit Climate | Shell Global In 2024, 78.2% of Shell's global investments included oil & gas, 11.37% included low-carbon energy solutions and 10.43% non-energy products. Shell's target is to become a net-zero emissions (NZE) business by 2050. Cautionary note, including NZE target: Cautionary note | Shell Global See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| The role of oil in the energy mix: today and in the future | 18 Nov 2025 | 00:21:00 | |
Oil is the source of about 30% of the world's energy today. It’s also the basis of ingredients in many everyday products - from your phone to clothes to medicines. Featuring Shell's President of Upstream, Peter Costello, this episode of The Energy Podcast explores the evolving role of oil in the energy mix. Peter discusses the future of oil in the energy transition, the impact of growing energy demand, and the need to continue investing in production that’s cost- and carbon-competitive to help provide the energy the world needs today. Learn about Shell’s oil and gas activities Learn more about The Energy Podcast
The Energy Podcast is a Starstruck Media production for Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Keeping the world moving: shipping’s lead role in the energy system | 07 Oct 2025 | 00:28:21 | |
How does the energy that powers lives move across the globe? In this episode, The Energy Podcast sets a course for the world of shipping with Karrie Trauth, Executive Vice President for Shipping and Maritime at Shell. She explains shipping’s vital, non-stop role as the backbone of today’s global energy system, connecting supply with demand across continents. Discover how much of global trade and energy are moved by sea, the challenges of keeping energy supplies flowing, and how the shipping industry is tackling decarbonisation. Learn more about The Energy Podcast For more on green corridors, click here. The Energy Podcast is a Starstruck Media production for Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| From lab to F1 track: the science behind Scuderia Ferrari’s sustainable race fuel | 23 Sep 2025 | 00:19:23 | |
In this bonus episode of The Energy Podcast, host Eddie is joined by Valeria Loreti, Principal Scientist and Delivery Manager in Motorsports at Shell, to explore the future of sustainable racing fuels for Formula 1 team Scuderia Ferrari HP. Starting in 2026, all Formula 1 cars will need to run on fuel made from advanced sustainable components – including advanced biofuels derived from non-food biomass or household waste, and renewable fuels of non-biological origin – as part of the sport’s plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2030. A key member of the Shell team developing Scuderia Ferrari HP’s bespoke fuel for 2026, Valeria shares exclusive insights into the science and cutting-edge tools behind fuel development, what happens trackside on an F1 race weekend, and the 75 years of partnership with Ferrari – one of the most iconic collaborations in motorsport. Whether you're a motorsports fan, a tech enthusiast, or curious about the future of racing, this episode is for you. Learn more about The Energy Podcast The Energy Podcast is a Starstruck Media production for Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| The future of road transport: Shell and BMW on emissions, EVs and innovation | 17 Sep 2025 | 00:41:24 | |
The Energy Podcast explores the complex path to decarbonising road transport. From adoption of electric vehicles and biofuels to policy, infrastructure and consumer behaviour, this episode unpacks the challenges of reducing emissions of road travel and what it’ll take to progress further. We are joined by Patrick Carré, a Senior Vice President for Mobility and Convenience at Shell, and Dr. Thomas Becker, Vice President for Government Affairs and Sustainability at BMW Group. Whether you're a car enthusiast, energy professional or just curious about the future of road transport, this episode offers timely insights into what it really takes to drive change. Learn more about The Energy Podcast The Energy Podcast is a Starstruck Media production for Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| What it takes to store CO2 under the seabed | 26 Aug 2025 | 00:10:35 | |
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) offers a way to help reduce industrial emissions at scale, particularly in sectors that are hard to decarbonise. In this episode, The Energy Podcast zooms in on Northern Lights, the world’s first commercial CO2 transport and storage service, which started operations on August 25, 2025. Lise Winther from global crop nutrition company Yara – a customer of the Northern Lights project in Norway – joins to discuss how the technology works, why government support has been critical, and what it takes to build confidence in long-term carbon storage infrastructure. The views from individuals not affiliated with Shell are their own and not those of Shell plc or its affiliates. Learn more about The Energy Podcast The Energy Podcast is a Starstruck Media production for Shell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||