methane leak monitoring with satellites

Will satellites play their role in addressing methane leak monitoring requirements?

There is a seismic shift in methane gas leak monitoring requirements coming for the EU energy sector, but will satellites miss out on playing their part because of a difference in units?

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

Our latest news:

Welcome to Spottitt’s Chief Technology Officer

We are thrilled to announce that Sebastian Sobocinski has joined us as Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

With a wealth of experience as a CTO, Chief Product Officer (CPO), and Software Development Director, Sebastian brings a strong background in IT project management. As he puts it, he is passionate about leveraging his extensive knowledge and skills to create value and drive impact through innovative business and technology solutions.

Spottitt Closes Investment

Spottitt Closes 800K USD Bridge Financing Round

In only 12 months since its launch, our AI-powered geospatial analytics service, Spottitt Metrics Factory, has gained significant traction and annual recurring revenue (ARR) among critical infrastructure owners.

Today, we are thrilled to announce the successful closure of an $800,000 bridge financing round.

This round has been led by US based VC fund, Right Side Capital Management, with support from our existing shareholders, KIC InnoEnergy SE, three amazing angel investors, and Spottitt founders CEO Lucy Kennedy and CFO Paolo Senes. We could not have achieved this funding milestone so swiftly and smoothly without the Qubit Capital team.

Spottitt Provides a Solution to Automatically Detect Changing Conditions on the NSW Road & Rail Network

Spottitt became Finalist in Transgrid’s Challenge for real-time insights for company’s easement route planning and Champion for Transport for NSW Challenge for tracking safety of roads and railways using satellite data.

The New South Wales network includes 6,800 route kilometres of operational rail lines and 17,600 km of state roads and highways.

TfNSW has identified Earth Observation satellites as a valuable addition to the monitoring technologies currently deployed and was looking for innovation to automatically detect changing conditions of network and potential risk modelling.

Satellites Drones Geospatial Data Collection Comparative Analysis

Deciding Between Satellites and Drones for Geospatial Data Collection: A Comparative Analysis

In recent times, the landscape of asset monitoring has witnessed a transformative shift with the emergence of advanced technologies, particularly satellite and drone systems.

The utilization of Earth observation satellites for monitoring purposes began gaining momentum in the late 20th century. Free government programs, such as those initiated by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), played a pivotal role in providing open access to satellite imagery. These programs not only facilitated scientific research but also allowed industries to leverage satellite data for monitoring critical infrastructure and environmental changes.

spottitt transgrid transport deloitte

Spottitt to Collaborate with Transgrid and Transport for NSW

Spottitt has been selected by Transport for NSW and Transgrid to apply satellite-based and AI-powered technology to automatically detect changing conditions in the NSW road and rail network and to provide real-time insights for Transgrid’s easement route maintenance and planning, respectively.

These projects will be conducted within the GRAVITY Challenge 06 program led by Deloitte Australia, an initiative that brings together start-ups, scale-ups, entrepreneurs and universities to address real industrial and environmental problems using space data. The Collaborate Phase will continue until mid-March 2024.

climate change EU UK Ireland satellite data

Weathering the Storm: Climate Change Threats to Power Grid Infrastructure

As our global climate continues to undergo profound transformations, the challenges posed by climate change are increasingly felt across various sectors of society, including critical infrastructure.

Climate change, characterized by rising temperatures, increased occurrences of extreme weather events, and shifting precipitation patterns, have exposed vulnerabilities within power networks. Often designed under the assumptions of historical climate patterns, now they are increasingly susceptible to the new normal of extreme weather, prolonged heat waves, and more severe freezing.

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.

Spottitt Ltd.

Electron Building

Fermi Ave

Harwell OX11 0QR

Great Britain

Phone: +44 772 594 4643

Email: info@spottitt.com