As climate change and global warming slowly become more of a prevalent issue and less of another side effect of the modern world, the push for becoming more environmentally responsible is now coming from all sectors of the world. In fact, you can now expect it from the last place you'd expect - oil and gas companies.
That's right. As Yuri Sebregts, chief technology officer and executive vice president technology for Shell, recently discussed what is essentially the company's shift towards green energy. Per the release, Sebregts discussed this with student moderators last Tuesday at the Avaya Auditorium.
The CTO said, " Our focus is on how we segue from the global energy system today to one in the future."
And segue into a better energy system they did, as the company recently invested $2 billion of research money this year to research and develop models for the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Furthermore, UT has also received a portion of the money for projects that will develop energy infrastructure and storage solutions.
Per Sebregts, "What we currently have with UT are research collaborations in a number of areas that are very important for (Texas) and the world. We continue to have a lot of technology that develops shale gas resource safely, economically and environmentally-responsibly."
He also reiterated that the company's long-term focus is on using environmentally responsible and safe methods that can both satisfy global energy needs and help prevent the worsening of climate change.
Karan Jerath on the other hand, who works as a petroleum engineering senior and moderator, said, " I think a lot of people don't know what oil and gas companies are doing. Shell ... has taken such a drastic ... approach to wanting to be the ones to contribute to the transitioning energy environment, and they're very active in the community as well."
A variety of new technologies will also have to be employed if the company is to make the transition in the safest and most effective way possible.
Per the company's CTO, the energy industry provides a big opportunity for people who want to make a long-lasting impact on the world. He also said that to actually make an impact, you have to understand all of the aspects that go into the energy system, since as much as it has cons, it also has a lot of pros that can help solve some of the world's biggest problems when it comes to both climate and energy consumption.
