Shell dumps wind, solar and hydro power in favour of biofuels

Shell will no longer invest in renewable technologies such as wind, solar and hydro power because they are not economic, the Anglo-Dutch oil company said today. It plans to invest more in biofuels which environmental groups blame for driving up food prices and deforestation.

Executives at its annual strategy presentation said Shell, already the world's largest buyer and blender of crop-based biofuels, would also invest an unspecified amount in developing a new generation of biofuels which do not use food-based crops and are less harmful to the environment.

The company said it would concentrate on developing other cleaner ways of using fossil fuels, such as carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology. It hoped to use CCS to reduce emissions from Shell's controversial and energy-intensive oil sands projects in northern Canada.

The company said that many alternative technologies did not offer attractive investment opportunities. Linda Cook, Shell's executive director of gas and power, said: "If there aren't investment opportunities which compete with other projects we won't put money into it. We are businessmen and women. If there were renewables [which made money] we would put money into it."

I am going to be as nice as I can here.

1. If you believe “alternative energy” sources might be good for you to use, DO IT. I have 20 acres. There running water some of the year. There is wind some of the year. There is solar some of the year. I’ve looked into all of these. The PAYBACK period for using these sources of energy is in excess of their useful lifetime. EG- It is NOT economical for ME to do. YOU may be in an area or have resources that are better than mine. CHECK IT OUT! DO THE CALCULATIONS! If it looks possible, go for it! If YOU and the millions of “you”s out there just wonder about it and don’t DO the calculations, and if it looks good for you don’t do it, something must not be right! I’ve looked into it for me, not for you.

I’ve found that there just is NOT enough energy in my stream, or wind, to make it worth the cost of the equipment that is available, even with subsidies, after the cost of maintenance and other total lifetime costs are included. The same goes with solar, though in some ways I can see a possibility of viability there IF the efficiencies and LIFETIME and MAINTENANCE of solar equipment was MUCH better than it is. The most likely concept I’ve found right now that I might someday be able to supply my own energy is by making a special bacteria-seeded pond that will create hydrogen or methane. There is plenty of research being done on this concept.

2. Many promising concepts for “alternative energy use” have been and are being researched by thousands of companies. Most of them have been a waste of billions of dollars, possibly trillions. The most viable of those are STILL not economical, and require “subsidies” in order to even get close. Some are still being researched, because the companies doing the research HOPE that they can get at least some of their money back. Possibly, they think they are on the edge of a breakthrough that will actually prove substantially profitable for them! Most of those hopes will fail. Most of the “promise” of “just around the horizon” will never occur. I keep hearing about marvelously efficient solar electric, but the research has not kept up with the promise.

3. You are welcome to do RESEARCH on your own into new energy. Brainstorm! Be creative! IF you are fortunate enough to discover a new method of creating energy, YOU will get the fruits of that discovery! Don’t complain about some company not doing it! They are leaving it open for YOU! YOU can do it! YOU will get wealthy beyond your dreams if you succeed! YOU will save the future generations, and have schools named after you!

4. There “venture capitalists” who constantly fund companies with wild ideas. They hope that one out of ten of their investments will earn a hundred times their investment in profits. The way our stupid tax codes are now set up have made such research prohibitively stupid for a company like Shell or GE to do. That does NOT mean the research isn’t being done - it is done by other smaller companies set up for the sole purpose of trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. If YOU have an idea, YOU can EASILY attract the funding from the venture capitalists, and share the profits with them! I will support your getting exceedingly wealthy doing this! I honestly hope you succeed in doing it!

For ME, helping “Future Generations” means extolling the virtues of coal, letting them know that CO2 is GOOD for us not bad, and NUCLEAR POWER.

Please, do check out the possibilities for YOU, and if you find something is economically viable for people you know but not for you, consider becoming a sales representative for the equipment and earn yourself some commissions!

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