Why they're Hot: Shell – #13 so far (#27 last year)

The Latest News: In October, Shell announced an agreement to fund $25 million in energy R&D with MIT’s Energy Initiative over a five-year period.

The research collaboration will fund a suite of projects at $5 million per year for the coming five years, focusing on advanced modeling, earth science, biofuels, nanotechnology and carbon management. Shell’s chief technology officer, Gerald Schotman, told Reuters, while announcing the project, that Shell will narrow its research paths in advanced biofuels from 10 advanced technologies to five in 2011, and described 2011 as “the year of choices”.

Schotman, who noted that Shell was currently focusing on the conversion of straw into ethanol and the production and refining of algae into fuel, predicted that renewable resources would provide up to 30 percent of the global energy supply by 2050.

The Digest’s Take: Unlike BP, we have a pretty good idea what Shell is going to do in Brazil, thanks to its monster merger of its bio-based business with Cosan. The company will have its hands full just absorbing and energizing its new JV, but readers have certainly understood the potential dimensions of Shell’s activities in lifting the company several notches up the Hot 50 ladder in subscriber voting. Shell calls 2011 “The Year of Decisions” – we can’t wait to see what they come up with.