GRSG 35th Conference 2024 Abstract

Title: Untitled

Author: Jean-Francois Gauthier

Organisation: GHGSat

The monitoring of methane emissions directly from industrial facilities with satellites has evolved greatly since it was first demonstrated by GHGSat in 2016. Today, GHGSat has 12 satellites in orbit (including one to focus on CO2), and 9 others at various stages of construction. In 2023, its satellites detected over 15,000 individual methane plumes around the world, in over 80 countries.

In the last few years, several new entrants have launched, or are preparing to launch, systems with both similar (ie. Carbon Mapper) and complementary (ie. MethaneSat) capabilities, opening the possibility of collaboration to augment the overall capacity and effectiveness of a system of systems to ultimately drive impact. This is in addition to public satellites, such as Sentinel 5P, which also provide an important part of the answer.

Following validation of GHGSat’s entire system by the two foremost space agencies in the world, ESA and NASA, there are no longer questions about the effectiveness or trustworthiness of its satellite technology in pinpointing and measuring methane emissions. With this in mind, and in light of the abundance of quality data generated by its constellation, GHGSat has intensified its efforts and focus on facilitating the use of the data to drive emissions reductions so the technology can fulfill its promise and deliver tangible results.

In this presentation, the various systems currently in orbit (as well as upcoming ones) will be briefly discussed, with a focus on complementarity. Recent results pinpointing emissions directly from oil and gas sites will be introduced, followed by examples of tipping and cueing of point source imagers with global mapping satellites, highlighting the power of systems working together. In addition, examples of verifiable methane emissions reductions in the oil and gas industry achieved around the world will be described. Finally, the next steps satellites and their ability to deliver results at scale will be presented.