Historically methane gas has been considered a safety issue, methane gas leaks were bad because of the risk of explosion or asphyxiation. But, in this brave new world of climate change and net zero commitments, methane gas leak levels set the pace for warming in the near term. That is because methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere. In response to the damage caused by methane gas emissions the EU published its Methane Strategy in Oct 2020. With this document stating that the energy sector was responsible for 19% of EU human made methane emissions and the below statement, the writing was on the wall for big changes to how our gas production, infrastructure and transport system operators will be required to handle methane gas leaks.
In December 2021 the EU published their proposal for a ‘Regulation on methane emissions reductions in the energy sector’:and it makes striking reading. In a nutshell operators will be required to survey ALL assets for leaks every 3 months, report and fix all leaks above 500 ppm within 15 days.
Monitoring requirements vary a lot by country, some do a visual inspection once a year of their high pressure networks, others every two weeks but NOBODY, (if I am wrong please let me know) is testing their entire network for leaks every 3 months.
The other striking element is the 500ppm threshold. Again rules vary a lot by country but because methane gas leaks are currently treated as a safety, not an environmental issue, methane leaks leading to concentration levels of over 10,000 ppm usually trigger some form of immediate fix or mitigation action, with leaks leading to lower ppm levels having a sliding scale of required intervention timescales.
So while this proposed EU regulation may get altered on its path to being fully adopted, it does, quite rightly, represent a seismic shift in how methane gas leakage is perceived, monitored and hopefully drastically reduced.
So how are our network operators and infrastructure owners going to meet this monitoring challenge in a way that doesn’t have a huge CO2 footprint? Can satellites play a role in quarterly methane gas leak detection at scale? Technically the answer is yes, both indirectly by using satellites to detect areas with an elevated risk of a gas leak; and directly via very sensitive methane monitoring sensors onboard satellites that are already in orbit. Plus there are new providers, more capacity and more sensitive higher resolution methane gas sensors on the way. My big concern is that the earth observation sector and regulation don’t talk the same language. In slightly simple terms satellite methane monitoring communicates results as atmospheric concentration of methane in ‘parts per billion’ but regulation talks about point source concentration of methane in ‘parts per million’.
Sadly in this instance you cannot just multiply ppm by 1000 to get the equivalent in ppb…
Spottitt is working with gas network operators and satellite data providers to ensure progress is not slowed by a difference in units.
Lucy Kennedy, co-founder, CEO and EO Evangelist
We are excited to integrate Meteomatics’ weather forecast data into our Spottitt MF platform’s Climate Conditions Monitoring module. Our clients will now access even more accurate and up-to-date weather information, allowing them to monitor rapidly changing weather and climate conditions around their critical infrastructure.
We are excited to announce that Spottitt, a leading provider of geospatial analytics solutions, will be a proud bronze sponsor at the upcoming 10th Annual Global Asset Management Forum for Distribution System Operators. This jubilee event will take place on the 19th and 20th of June 2023 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, organized by TBM Group.
As the CEO and co-founder of Spottitt, a company that leverages Earth Observation (EO) data to provide actionable insights for various industries, I have seen first-hand the immense potential of EO for the Infrastructure Sector alongside the adoption challenges faced by infrastructure owners and operators.
Satellite-derived analytics is rapidly gaining ground as an essential tool for monitoring and managing risks in the power, utility, and infrastructure industries. It has been recognised as a key tool to improve safety, reliability, and optimal performance of critical assets by providing insights into their health, risks, and other key operational parameters.
This achievement was announced as part of the prestigious SET Award 2023 (Start-Up Energy Transition), which is an international competition for start-ups and young companies working on ideas affecting the global energy transition.
Solar and wind power plants have become increasingly important as the world continues to move towards renewable energy sources. However, choosing the right location for these power plants can be a complex process involving various factors, from available land and solar irradiation to wind speeds and topography.
We won’t stop until satellite analytics become the norm for large and small businesses Worldwide, to monitor their assets at scale in a sustainable way.
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