Satellite Methane Detection and Quantification System
Approved for funding in ERA’s Methane Challenge in 2017, GHGSat developed and demonstrated a satellite methane detection and quantification system. By its completion in 2021, the project had successfully commercialized its satellite, aircraft, and analytics technologies to detect and measure methane releases, and is now being commercially deployed for applications around the world (literally).
Methane is a very potent greenhouse gas, and leakages, called fugitive emissions, are difficult to measure and track. Improvements in detection technologies are necessary to identify all the methane that is emitted, and its source in an accurate and timely way, so that all methane emissions can be mitigated. Methane leaks can happen intermittently, over very large areas, and with varying leak sizes. Ground-based surveillance has limitations due to the geographic scale that must be inspected for effective leak prevention and emissions mitigation. Area detection can address these issues and inspect a number of potential emissions sources over vast geographical areas to help us identify large leaks and super emitters.
GHGSat developed a hybrid satellite-aircraft system for methane detection and measurement of methane releases from industrial facilities, partnering with COSIA, Schlumberger, Encana, GreenPath, and others in Alberta to demonstrate Calgary-based technology identifying methane emissions, otherwise unseen. The two-tiered satellite/aircraft approach enables screening and detection of large leaks from diffuse or point sources from orbit, followed by more detailed imaging and quantification by aircraft surveys that can enable directed repair of methane leaks. The system enables large events such as unplanned venting or equipment failure to be quickly detected and remedied, enables cheap large-scale surveys to identify super-emitters, and provides more frequent observations to catch leaks sooner and at a lower cost than incumbent technologies.
First Commercial Satellite Deployment De-Risked and Validated Technology
The satellite launched during the project achieved or exceeded all success metrics relating to technology advancement. These include improving the spatial resolution, methane precision, and geolocation accuracy, leading to target detection thresholds.
The minimum release rate threshold for detection was validated at 100 kg/hour for the satellite and 10 kg/hour for the aircraft sensors, confirming the technology is better suited for super-emitters than individual wells. The project conducted monitoring missions at Alberta’s methane-emitting industries, including oil sands, oil and gas wells, agriculture, and waste management, with routine satellite monitoring and one-time aerial surveys. The project period testing detected only one significant release in Alberta, but was still able to validate the system in parallel demonstrations.
The overall system, featuring hybrid data and detection from both sensors, was successfully developed and advanced a Technology Readiness Level. Challenges remain to achieve full potential in Alberta, such as the detection threshold to meet commercial and regulatory objectives and improved performance for area source applications.
What’s next?
Going forward, GHGSat plans to continue to improve the technical performance of the system, as well as add capacity and frequency of observation. Their satellites measure methane emissions from hundreds of sites worldwide, and aircraft survey tens of thousands of sites in North America. As GHGSat has evolved their technology and established themselves as a leader in methane detection, they’ve expanded their fleet of satellite and airborne instruments, along with enhanced analytics services. They’ve established several significant partnerships, such as with Kairos Aerospace, another ERA-supported project, for a multi-scale monitoring of methane emissions by combining airborne, satellite and modelled assessments in the US. They currently have 12 satellites in orbit.
GHGSat has established themselves as a global leader in high-resolution remote sensing of greenhouse gas from space, providing unique emissions data and intelligence to businesses, governments, regulators, and investors worldwide. Since their inception in 2011, GHGSat has raised more than $126 million (USD) and has enabled the mitigation of 5.6 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from industrial facilities around the world.
Most recently, GHGSat was named in Time Magazine’s list of the best inventions in 2024.