Biofuels technology
We’ve always trusted and invested in new technology – from our early days as an oil and gas pioneer right through to our current investments in alternative energy solutions, including carbon capture and storage, wind, solar and biofuels. Working together with technology developers and academic institutions we believe that we’re ahead of the game
Good and not-so-good biofuels
If biofuels are done well, they can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy efficiency and stimulate agricultural progress. If done less well they can potentially have more negative impacts on natural habits and make little or no tangible difference to climate change. We’re determined to do biofuels exceptionally well – using sustainable feedstocks to minimize pressures on food supplies and developing advanced technologies with the potential to make good biofuels even better.
Next generation biofuels
The biofuels currently used at commercial scale already deliver tangible benefits compared with conventional fossil fuels – but new technology can take them, and us, much further forward. We believe that the next generation of advanced biofuels, using waste products or feedstocks that have minimal impact on food supplies and providing much better conversion efficiencies and blending properties could realistically account for 30% of the global transport fuel market by 2050.
Technology initiatives
We’re working with some of the world’s most prestigious academic institutions and through joint ventures with other ambitious businesses to develop the advanced technologies needed to take biofuels to the next level. Our current initiatives include a 10 year investment of $500 million to create and support the Energy Biosciences Institute, based at the University of Berkeley California, to research new biofuel production methods, new feedstocks and better conversion processes.
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Using advanced technologies to produce better biofuels
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