Mutual benefits

The growth in the economies of countries in Asia–Pacific will undoubtedly impact on energy demand in the region. China, in particular, has a projected annual growth rate of 6.4% to 2030, which is expected to result in an almost three-fold increase in energy demand in the same period.1 Many of China’s academic institutes are focusing on this challenge and studying how to make the best use of the country’s energy resources.

To understand better the challenges facing China, Shell was keen to establish relationships with academic institutes, and in 2004, Shell Research funded a small team to work in the country. Alexander van der Made, Manager, Group External Research Programmes, Shell Global Solutions International BV, is a team member. “We started with two institutions,” he says, “Tsinghua University in Beijing and the State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion in Taiyuan. The topics they are working on are extremely interesting to Shell. China is unusual because it does not have crude oil or natural gas in substantial quantities; however, it has a lot of coal. It is thought-provoking from an energy perspective to see how China will use that resource,” says van der Made.

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