New satellite can pinpoint methane leaks at individual facilities

A new satellite will be able to pinpoint methane leaks from individual pieces of oil and gas equipment just about anywhere in the world, with monitoring occurring around the clock and in real-time.

The satellite, called Tanager-1, about the size of a mini-fridge, launched into orbit in August, will significantly expand the ability to track methane emissions from the fossil fuel industry. Tanager-1 will have a level of granularity that other satellites lack, down to 30-metres of resolution. Carbon Mapper refers to it as akin to a “zoom lens,” with the ability to look closely at specific pieces of equipment, such as a flare stack, a landfill, or a section of a pipeline.

The Carbon Mapper satellite was developed by California-based Planet Labs PBC, using technology from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The Carbon Mapper coalition is a philanthropically-funded public-private partnership led by the nonprofit Carbon Mapper which also includes Planet Labs PBC, NASA JPL, RMI, the California Air Resources Board, and Arizona State University.

There are already other existing satellites that track greenhouse gas emissions, such as the European Space Agency’s TROPOMI, which maps methane concentrations around the world, taking daily measurements. But TROPOMI cannot attribute methane emissions to specific sites.

Separately, Environmental Defense Fund, a U.S.-based environmental NGO, launched its MethaneSAT satellite earlier this year. MethaneSAT offers high resolution and generally specialises in measuring methane emissions at a regional level, and capturing those emissions over time. It can also detect methane at concentrations as low as 3 parts per billion, and orbits the earth every 90 minutes, allowing it to make roughly 30 readings per day.

Experts say that no single satellite technology can do everything. Rather, combining multiple layers of monitoring offers the most accurate picture on the methane crisis. The pinpoint accuracy of Carbon Mapper’s new Tanager satellite, which can “zoom in” on specific sites, adds yet another tool for global methane monitoring.

The data will be published at Carbon Mappers publicly-available portal, which already contains data on more than 15,000 methane plumes around the world. Ideally, that data can provide critical information for researchers, investors, and policymakers. Oil and gas companies can also use the information to find and fix leaks quickly.

Methane is an extremely powerful greenhouse gas, more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Slashing methane emissions is often described as the “low-hanging fruit” of climate action because fast reductions yield rapid benefits. More than 150 countries have signed the Global Methane Pledge, committing to cutting methane emissions by at least 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030.

Carbon Mapper’s Tanager satellites can provide regulators at various international, national, and subnational levels with the data needed to implement policies and programmes to cut methane pollution. The European Union plans on implementing limits on methane emissions from oil and gas imports, which take effect in 2030. But policymakers are seeking more accurate data.

In early July, a group of lawmakers from the EU and the U.S. called on the International Energy Agency to develop international standards for measuring methane from the oil and gas industry.