bg
  • Dela
Published: January 15th, 2008

Shell to produce diesel fuel from algaeShell, the major oil company, has decided to adopt algae for its diesel production. The company has already begun the construction of a pilot plant in Hawaii.

Growing algae as biofuel will not be taking valuable land areas that are needed to grow food on. Thanks to algaes impressive photosynthesis it will produce 15 times as much oil for a given area compared to other biofuel crops. Algae can also be fed CO2 directly from smokestacks.

So, has Shell finally seen the green light? Far from it actually.

Shell are just protecting their own interests. Now when the food and oil prices have increased, more and more companies are looking into alternative and cheaper ways, such as algae, to produce diesel.

Shell’s chief executive, Jeroen Van der Veer have, recently, criticized Europe’s climate targets saying the 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 are to “overstretched”. He thinks the targets could have “a demotivating effect” on those struggling to reach environmental goals.

So, even if Shell are to produce diesel fuel from algae it still remains an old fossil company that try to do everything it can to ensure a prosperous market for environment un-friendly and carbon-spewing fuels.

Image credit: Sarah Camp. Image licensed under a
Creative-Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works license.

Simon Leufstedt
Simon Leufstedt is the founder and editor of Green Blog – an environment blog with authors from around the world. He is also the admin of Enviro Space - a place to meet, discuss and interact with other people who share your interests and ideas. Simon has previously studied Global Environmental Justice and is currently busy working with the Swedish TckTckTck organisation and learning everything there is to know about Human Ecology at the Lund University in Sweden.
Advertisement

Related Posts

Advertisement
RSS

Subscribe to Green Blog

Green Blog has daily updates and posts from authors around the world. Get our latest posts, commentaries and articles by RSS-feed or by adding your Email to our newsletter.

Learn More

This blog post has been marked with the following tags. Click on one of the tags to learn more:

You can also learn more about this topic by browsing the post's category: Biofuels

Archives

Browse our archive of over +2 years worth of blog posts, articles and commentaries:

bg
bg

Comment Guideline

Comments with profanity, personal attacks or objectionable material will be edited or deleted. Feel free to refute someone's points or offer counter arguments, but please do not engage in name calling.

You can also customize your links and add some photos to your comments. Green Blog supports the following HTML tags: <a>, <b>, <i>, <u>, <em>, <p>, <blockquote>, <br>, <strong>, <strike>, <img>

We will show Disqus avatars and/or Gravatars next to your name.

  • Wonder if you or anyone else have looked at using oxy hydrogen as supplemental fuel to boost the efficiency of gasoline or diesel combustion in vehicles. My own test shows that a commercial available water electrolysis device can save about 28% diesel in my 2006 Dodge Sprinter cargo van. Check my website for more info.
blog comments powered by Disqus
bg
bg
Twitter Bird

    Sustainability: A renewed look at locality in architecture

    By Job Mouwen on February 5th, 2010

    Photo credit: Jeremy Levine Design
    Sustainability has never reached the point where it became so imminent as it is nowadays and at the same time so unperfected in the architectural discussion. We are on the eve of an architectural revolution where situational design parameters are no longer used as a design tool to “catch” the [...]

    We must go from capitalism to socialism to tackle climate change, says Hugo Chavez

    By Simon Leufstedt on February 5th, 2010

    In an interesting interview during COP15 Amy Goodman from Democracy Now asks Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela, about his view of the climate summit in Copenhagen, climate change, USA, and the huge oil reserves in Venezuela. Watch it:

    “AMY GOODMAN: What level of emissions are you willing to support reductions of emissions?
    PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ: [translated] [...]

    Climate Racism, Climate Injustice & Copenhagen Greenhouse Gas Reduction Proposals

    By Dr Gideon Polya on February 4th, 2010

    “What can decent people do to save the Planet from the Australian, EU and US climate criminals?”
    The bottom line in the Copenhagen Climate Summit should be (a) equal per capita greenhouse gas emissions for everyone and (b) an additional but equitable penalty for First World countries for their disproportionately huge historical contribution to atmospheric carbon [...]

    Green Resolutions

    By Leah Karpus on January 30th, 2010

    Photo credit: woodleywonderworks
    Chances are, you already do quite a few of these already. These ideas certainly aren’t new or ingenious. However, they are simple, easy and attainable. So if you see something new on the list, give it a go. There are always things we can work on.
    Your Two New Best Friends…
    …are your reusable [...]

    Ice, snow, so where’s the global warming?

    By People's World on December 20th, 2009

    Photo credit: laszlo-photo
    As winter weather hits us again, many people confuse the current weather (cold) with the long-term direction of the climate (warmer).
    Just because it is cold outside right now doesn’t mean that global warming isn’t real. Global warming has to do with the climate, with the long-term trend of the world’s average temperature. [...]

    World leaders apologizes for climate failure in Copenhagen ads

    By Simon Leufstedt on December 20th, 2009

    Our world leaders haven’t yet apologized for their climate failure in Copenhagen so Greenpeace and the global tcktcktck campaign have done it for them in these advertisements at the Copenhagen airport:

    “I’m sorry,” the text of the ad reads. “We could have stopped catastrophic climate change… We didn’t.”
    Some of the so called world “leaders” depicted are [...]

    Watch Hugo Chavez: Capitalism is the way to the destruction of the planet

    By Simon Leufstedt on December 19th, 2009

    Yesterday Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela, made a passionate and courageous speech at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Chavez criticized President Obama’s “laughable” promise to help climate change and also said that capitalism will destroy our planet. Watch it:

    Scratching the surface

    By Jonathan Sundqvist on December 17th, 2009

    I was listening to the pressconference that the European Union had the last two days. One would think that by now with all the high level people attending that they would have a clear and effective communication on what they want to achieve here in Copenhagen. More often than not the devil is in the [...]

    Naomi Klein: We want a good deal. And that’s what tomorrows demonstration is going to be about.

    By Simon Leufstedt on December 15th, 2009

    Naomi Klein speaking at the Klimaforum09 in Copenhagen.
    Tomorrow morning another large and important demonstration will be held in Copenhagen. This time the Climate Justice Action network is organizing a huge non-violent demonstration where the demonstrators are planning to march into the Bella Center, where the climate talks are being held. At the same time concerned [...]

    The “Danish text” makes developing nations furious and Naomi Klein says the deal we really need is not even on the table

    By Simon Leufstedt on December 8th, 2009

    Photo credit: adopt a negotiator
    Here are some of the biggest and most interesting news today related to the ongoing COP15 climate conference in Copenhagen:
    A draft text for a potential final agreement in Copenhagen was leaked today to the Guardian. The “Danish text” has made the developing countries “furious” as the draft agreement would give [...]

    Advertisement

    Latest Comments

    Latest Forum Topics

    Green Blog on Reddit

    Green Blog ♥ Reddit

    bg
    bg
    Powered by WordPress. Green Blog is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike license.
    Creative Commons License
    bg