Sustainability at Shell
Sustainable development goals
About our data
Energy transition and climate change
Lower-carbon alternatives
Shell invests in a range of lower-carbon energies, including hydrogen for transport, charging for battery electric vehicles and biofuels. We aim to become an integrated power player, which includes delivering more electricity generated by natural gas – a cleaner-burning alternative to coal – and renewable energy. Our New Energies business, set up in 2016, strengthens our approach with its focus on new fuels and power.
Highlights in 2017
- We acquired vehicle charging firm NewMotion and signed an agreement with charging network operator IONITY to offer charging points in 10 European countries.
- We began working with carmakers Honda and Toyota to install new hydrogen refuelling stations in northern California.
- We blended around 9 billion litres of biofuels in the petrol and diesel we sold.
- We worked with AFA, a large association of small soy farms in Argentina, to help them gain a certification from the global body Round Table on Responsible Soy.
- We acquired Texas electricity group MP2 Energy.
With more than 2 billion vehicles expected on the road by 2050, compared to around 900 million today, according to International Energy Agency, we need to find cleaner, more energy-efficient transport solutions. Our approach includes providing cleaner-burning liquefied natural gas (LNG) for heavy-duty road vehicles and the marine industry.
We are one of the world’s largest blenders and distributors of biofuels. Our activities range from developing advanced biofuels to opening hydrogen stations. We are also starting to provide electric vehicle charging points at retail stations, homes and workplaces.
In power, we focus on meeting commercial, industrial and residential customer needs, supported by our activities in electricity generation, trading and supply. As well as developments on the supply side, there are also advances in the way demand is managed: smart meters in homes, offices and factories allow users to time energy use outside peak times.
We already have an established wind business and are developing new projects. In solar, we are looking into potential business models while increasingly using solar energy at our own sites and operations.
We recognise the importance of storing renewable energy and are investing in innovative ways to deliver this. We are also developing models to help customers better manage their energy use. At the same time, we are looking at commercial opportunities to bring electricity to remote communities.