A satellite that monitors methane leaks from oil and gas companies will start orbiting Earth 15 times a day next month. Google plans to map the data by the end of the year so the world can see the information, Business Insider reports.
The data would be made available to the public later this year. PHOTO Archive
The partnership between Google and the Environmental Defense Fund, which is due to launch its satellite, known as MethaneSAT, in March is a sea change in global climate responsibility. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas believed to be responsible for nearly a third of global warming caused by human activity.
Researchers say cutting methane emissions is one of the fastest ways to slow the climate crisis, as methane has 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over a decade.
“Hottest Year”
“Globally, 2023 was the warmest year on record”, said Steve Hamburg, EDF's head of science and head of the MethaneSAT project. “The need to protect the climate has never been more urgent, and reducing methane emissions from fossil fuel operations and agriculture is indeed the fastest way we can slow warming right now.”
Agriculture is largely to blame for the methane problem. The International Energy Agency (IEA) said agriculture is the largest source of methane emissions from human activities, but the energy sector is second.
Oil, gas and coal mining is estimated to be responsible for 40% of global methane emissions from human activities. According to the IEA, particular attention should be paid to the energy sector, in part because reducing methane leakage is cost-effective. Leaking gases can be captured and traded, and the technology required to do so is relatively cheap.
MethaneSAT is part of a new generation of satellites designed to locate gas sources almost anywhere in the world, while Google has the computing power and artificial intelligence skills to analyze large amounts of data and map oil and gas infrastructure .
Measuring methane leaks normally involves expensive field surveys using aircraft and handheld infrared cameras. This method only provides a snapshot and the research was published years later.
Yael Maguire, vice president and general manager of sustainability at Google Geo — the team behind platforms like Google Maps and Street View — said mapping oil and gas operations presented a similar challenge. The locations of wellheads, industrial pumps, and storage tanks can change rapidly, so a map must be updated regularly. A satellite can satisfy this demand.
“This information is incredibly valuable”
Maguire said the same AI-based technology that Google has used to detect trees, crosswalks and intersections in satellite images could be applied to oil and gas infrastructure. The map would be overlaid with data from MethaneSAT to highlight the type of machinery most susceptible to leaks.
“We believe this information is incredibly valuable for energy companies, researchers and the public sector to anticipate and reduce methane emissions in the components that are generally most susceptibleMaguire said.
The launch of the satellite comes as countries and oil and gas companies aim to drastically reduce methane emissions by 2030 to tackle the climate crisis.
At last year's UN climate summit in Dubai, companies representing 40 percent of the world's oil and gas production pledged to almost completely eliminate methane leaks from their own operations this decade. In addition, at least 155 countries have signed the Global Methane Commitment, which calls for a 30% reduction in emissions. The pledge was launched in 2021, but since then methane emissions have continued to rise.
To help change that trajectory, last year the US and Europe issued regulations to reduce methane emissions from fossil fuel infrastructure.
Hamburg said Japan and South Korea, which rely on energy imports, are considering similar laws.
Maguire said Google plans to make the data available to the public for free on Google Earth Engine later this year.
