The Energy Podcast Shell

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  bias

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  c

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 PodcastSeason 4, Episode 4

00:00:00Julia Streets: Today  on  The  Energy  Podcast.

00:00:07Bassam Fattouh: If  oil  and  gas  is  to  remain  part  of the  energy  mix,  the  key  issue  then  becomes  how  to  reduce  greenhouse  gas  emissions  from  hydrocarbon  related  activities.

00:00:16Sian Lloyd-Rees: If  we  want  to  achieve  net- zero  by  2050,  we  all  need  to  adopt  that  2050  mindset  now,  making  the  decisions  today  that  are  consistent  with  the  future  that  we  want.

00:00:26Zoe Yujnovich: The journey to net-zero must be achieved whilst at the same time providing a stable and reliable supply of energy.

00:00:34Julia Streets: The  science  is  clear  and  the  world  is  in  a  fight  to  avoid  the  most  serious  effects  of  climate  change.  Energy  and  the  use  of  it  is  one  of  the  biggest  contributors  to  global  greenhouse  gas  emissions.  And  this  means  that  the  oil  and  gas  industry,  which  supplies  much  of  that  energy,  is  under  pressure  like  never  before.  Many  countries  are  working  to  achieve  net- zero  carbon  emissions  by  2050,  while  continuing  to  meet  the  demand  for  secure  and  affordable  energy. The  impact  of  the  war  on  Ukraine  on  the  global  energy  market  has  shown  just  how  delicate  the  balance  is  to  maintain.  Some  critics  argue  that  only  a  drastic  scale  back  from  oil  and  gas  will  do,  advocating  for  actions  like  an  immediate  end  to  the  development  of  new  oil  and  gas  fields.  Others  believe  that  the  global  economy  cannot  be  decarbonized  without  the  constructive  participation  of  the  oil  and  gas  industry. On  one  thing,  there  is  broad  agreement  that  business  as  usual  is  no  longer  an  option.  How  can  the  world  manage  the  balancing  act  of  meeting  demand  while  investing  in  the  energy  of  the  future?  Does  it  need  to  go  further  and  faster?  Hello,  I'm  Julia  Streets,  and  today  on  the  Energy  Podcast  we  ask;  is  there  a  role  for  oil  and  gas  in  the  journey  to  net- zero?  With  me  to  discuss  this  are  Dr.  Bassam  Fattouh,  Director  of  the  Oxford  Institute  for  Energy  Studies,  Sian  Lloyd- Rees,  the  UK  Managing  Director  for  Mainstream  Renewable  Power  and  Shell's  Integrated  Gas  and  Upstream  Director,  Zoe  Yujnovich.  So,  Bassam,  let  me  start  with  you.  How  does  the  world  get  its  energy  today?

00:02:10Bassam Fattouh: Based  on  the  latest  statistics  for  2022,  hydrocarbons,  that  means  oil,  gas  and  coal,  accounted  for  the  bulk  of  primary  energy  consumption.  Oil  accounted  for  more  than  30%  of  primary  energy  consumption,  followed  by  coal,  which  still  account  for  more  than  25%,  and  then  the  share  of  natural  gas  is  not  far  away,  standing  at  around  25%.  The  share  of  renewables  in  the  form  of  solar  and

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 PodcastSeason 4, Episode 3

00:00Julia Streets: Today on The Energy Podcast…..

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.Ingrid Malmgren: Through  deliberate  planning  and  innovation  and  organic  growth, we're  going  to  have  chargers  where  we  need  them,  when  we  need  them,  and  we'll  have  a  cleaner,  more  sustainable  equitable  transportation  system.

00:29Julia Streets: There  can  be  little  denial  that  the  electric  vehicle  revolution  is  upon  us.  According  to  the  International  Energy  Agency,  sales  of  Electric  Vehicles,  or  EVs,  exceeded  10  million  worldwide  in  2022,  and  the  global  market  is  predicted  to  grow  even  further  this  year.  This  is  good  news  for  the  nations  relying  on  widespread  adoption  of  EVs  in  helping  them  to  realize  their  climate  ambitions.  If  global  carbon  emissions  are  to  reach  net  zero  by  2050  in  line  with  the  Paris  Agreement,  there  will  need  to  be  300  million  EVs  on  the  road  by  the  end  of  this  decade.Such  rapid  growth  intensifies  the  need  for  EV  infrastructure,  namely  access  to  reliable,  affordable  charging.  Ensuring  that  EVs  match  the  cost  and  convenience  of  running  a  conventional  fuel  vehicle  is  crucial,  not  just  for  existing  owners,  but  also  in  convincing  more  drivers  to  make  the  switch.  Governments  and  businesses  across  the  world  are  grappling  with  the  infrastructure  challenge  created  by  the  EV  boom  with  varying  degrees  of  success.Hello,  I'm  Julia  Streets,  and  today  on  The  Energy  Podcast  we  ask,  are  roads  ready  for  EVs? 

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. I'm  delighted  that  you're  all  with  me  today.  Elizabeth,  when  you  think  about  EV  infrastructure,  what's  the  global  outlook?

02:16Elizabeth Connelly: One  thing  to  note  about  charging  infrastructure  right  now  is  that  most  charging  of  electric  cars  occurs  at  homes,  but  a  lot  of  the  attention  is  around  public  charging,  of  course,  because  this  helps  enable  people  to own EVs  that  don't  have  access  to  home  charging.  Looking  at  the  picture  today,  worldwide  there  are  about  we  estimate  17  million  home  chargers  for  electric  vehicles  and  that's  compared  to  about  three  million  public  EV  chargers. In  terms  of  who's  leading  the  way  with  charging  infrastructure,  I  don't  want

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:

00:00Julia Streets: Today  on  The  Energy  Podcast...

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.Carbon  markets  have  existed  for  decades.  There  are  many  carbon  pricing  systems  around  the  world,  but  at  present,  it  is  estimated  that  only  a  quarter  of  emissions  are  priced.  That  could  soon  change.  At  last  year's  COP27  climate  conference  in  Egypt,  the  first  country- to- country  carbon  trades  took  place.  Could  this  pave  the  way  for  further  uptake  of  carbon  trading  and  what  impact  could  that  have  in  the  fight  against  global  warming?

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?

02:18Dr. Hasan Muslemani: The  fundamental  concept  behind  a  carbon  market  is  really  to put  a  price  on  carbon,  or  in  other  words,  to  quantify  the  cost  of  damages  that  emissions  will  cost  our  society  over  time.  To  do  this,  we  have, at  the  heart  of  carbon  markets,  what  is  called  carbon  accounting  or  greenhouse  gas  accounting.  This  represents  a  set  of  standards  an

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