Photo credit  |  GHGSat: Satellite observations of methane emissions by GHGSat’s constellation of high-resolution satellites

GHGSat: Global Emissions Monitoring

Atmosphere  |  06 May, 2022

Reducing methane is the strategic measure we can take now to keep global warming in-check and deliver a cleaner future for all. At Space4Climate member GHGSat, it’s in their DNA to take an active role in the challenge of climate change, to deliver the timely and objective data needed to identify and curb the sources of emissions globally.

If we can accurately locate and measure leaks, we can help those responsible for the facility to improve their decarbonisation performance and even help them improve revenues by identifying opportunities for energy recapture.

GHGSat is the global leader in high-resolution remote-sensing of greenhouse gas from space – technology it pioneered – and delivers unique facility-level emissions data and AI-driven insights to operators, governments, and regulators worldwide, to optimize performance, uphold environmental standards, and stimulate investment to ultimately reduce emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change. Our mission is to become the global partner of choice for high-resolution greenhouse gas monitoring, providing actionable intelligence that helps industries such as oil and gas, energy, mining, waste management and agriculture, perform better, reduce their carbon intensity and achieve their emission targets.

Application

GHGSat data services help the industry do better and be held accountable. Our proprietary satellite and data technology makes methane visible, with high-quality data that is trusted by academia and state-space agencies and relied on by regulators. GHGSat is the only organisation in the world capable of detecting methane emissions from sources 100 times smaller than those detected by other satellites by using a resolution 100 times greater than other systems. This means that we can identify and quantify methane emissions from point sources as small as oil and gas wells.

UK expertise

GHGSat-UK is primarily focused on developing climate finance products. We have 10 data analytics and business development specialists working on this from our office in East London’s Tech City. The UK activity began with a 2020 ESA project primed by NPL, where the consortium collected in situ and satellite observations of methane emissions from a landfill.

GHGSat data

Today, the team in the UK is using data from Copernicus Sentinel missions alongside GHGSat proprietary data for its climate finance products. We use ‘imagery all’ satellites that collect data in the relevant wavelengths for methane detection.

Satellite observations of methane emissions by GHGSat’s constellation of high-resolution satellites

GHGSat’s approach to correcting imagery for background emissions, makes it ideally suited for point source emissions monitoring from industrial facilities rather than regional emissions (e.g. peatlands).

Governments and emissions data

Following COP26, industries and governments across the world recognised that cutting methane is one of the most effective steps we can take to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C, the target agreed in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Announced by the US Government and the European Union, over 100 countries signed the Global Methane Pledge to reduce emissions by 30% by 2030. As more countries commit to phasing out, accurate and reliable data becomes increasingly critical. GHGSat can meet this need, as our technology is already delivering valuable data on global methane emissions in the fight against climate change.

Insight

“There has never been a greater need for the timely and accurate measurement, monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions as new legislation to reduce emissions comes into force across Europe and the United States, in particular for methane. Knowing concentrations alone is necessary but not sufficient to guide operators: they need to identify point sources quickly and understand patterns and trends in emissions, particularly with respect to potential failure risks.”

GHGSat technology is proven to measure methane emissions today, anywhere in the world, quickly, easily and accurately.

GHGSat-C1, Iris