Andrew Iwanoczko FRSA’s Post

In our latest blog, we're sharing a summary of Dowd et al's (2024) peer-reviewed paper “First validation of high-resolution satellite-derived methane emissions from an active gas leak in the UK”. Summary written by Bex Hadfield and Sarah Cheesbrough, MSc. This case study - focusing on a large methane leak near Cheltenham, identified by National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO) researchers in 2023 - demonstrated for the first time, a UK methane emission being detected from space and validated by ground-based surveys to reduce fugitive methane emissions. Read the full blog here: https://ow.ly/wcc650STGKO

For anyone considering the role that satellite technology can play in emissions monitoring versus ground-based surveys, our latest blog gives a summary of a peer-reviewed paper which highlights how they can work hand in hand. #methane #GHG

As we're assembling the conference programme for the 3rd Energy Group #CCS Symposium 11-13 September it's great to see the papers from the first symposium coming out in Geoenergy: https://lnkd.in/eRA_gAg9, including important updates on Sleipner and Endurance and the risking of subsurface storage of CO2

There are big questions about how methane hydrate may shape the energy landscape, with undersea reservoirs potentially holding an untapped supply of natural gas, particularly for energy-poor countries. But methane is also a potent greenhouse gas, and there are questions here, too, about what conditions may lead the methane to escape from its hydrate cage and seep into the wider world—and the impacts this could have on the environment. Answering those questions requires getting an up-close look at a reservoir from top to bottom, and that’s exactly what Jackson School of Geosciences Professor Peter Flemings set out to do. Read more about the mission in the Alcalde.

Government of Canada. "The Canadian government's official view is that fracked methane, aka fossil gas/LNG, is a climate solution. (Yes, gas burns 50% cleaner than coal, but for this to be true on a lifecycle basis, you need to assume that the gas displaces coal and leakage rates of methane along the gas supply chain are low. A long-awaited peer-reviewed study in Energy Science & Engineering, which makes use of fresh data from a million aerials assessments, says LNG is worse for climate than coal, chiefly because methane leakage rates are 2.95% on average--which is much higher than industry or dated less thorough government assessments." Adapted from Toby Heaps.

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has launched a database of all the potential underground carbon storage sites. The database, called the Catalog of U.S. Prospective Subsurface Storage Reservoir Sealing Formations, is a valuable new resource for researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals working on capturing and storing carbon dioxide (CO2) underground. #CO2storage #carboncapture #emissions #CO2capture https://bit.ly/4474F9f

I was trying to figure out why it was so tough for the Canadian government to accept a taxonomy for sustainable investing that did not include fossil gas. I think it is because the government's official view is that fossil gas/LNG is a climate solution (it's true that gas burns 50% cleaner than coal but for gas to be a bridge climate solution on a lifecycle basis you need to assume that the gas displaces coal and leakage rates of methane along the gas supply chain are low). A long-awaited peer-reviewed study in Energy Science & Engineering which makes use of fresh data from a million aerial assessments says LNG is worse for climate than coal, chiefly because methane leakage rates are 2.95% on average--which is much higher than industry or dated less thorough government assessments. If you have a high tolerance for cognitive dissonance, look at below links: [1] https://lnkd.in/g373sygG ["Exporting LNG to the global market could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing coal combustion, thus helping in the fight against global climate change"] [2] https://lnkd.in/g-8a5nCf [3] https://lnkd.in/g42snSYQ #ClimateChange #SustainableInvesting #EnergyScience #LNG #Coal #MethaneLeakage #EnvironmentalImpact

If a gas flare can’t be seen, how can it be detected and regulated? The use of internal gas flares that are not visible to satellites is on the rise in the US and Europe. The Guardian reports here on the challenges that these devices present for researchers investigating gas flaring using satellite imagery. The industry is not coy about this, saying the internal combustion of associated gas is preferred because it produces less noise and light — so it doesn’t disturb local communities as much. But internal combustion is less efficient than open flaring, meaning more unburnt methane gets released into the atmosphere. I’m surprised researchers say they can’t see these devices from space. While the flare itself is not visible, I would’ve thought the methane and CO2 plumes would be. Or maybe the heat signature? Let’s hope so, because routine flaring won’t ever be stopped completely if it relies on self-reporting. And there’s a risk that regulators exempt internal combustors from flaring bans, as happened in Colorado, even though they emit more than conventional flare stacks. Mark Jonathan Davis, FEI, FGS Sharon Wilson

Dear Colleagues, Join Us, with Arvind Ravikumar, Evan Sherwin, Matthew Johnson and me, at #AGU24 in Washington DC, Dec 9-13, to explore recent advancements in methane emissions measurement and characterization!! Our session will focus on innovative approaches, models, and case studies of methane emissions inventory development, reconciliation, and uncertainty quantification. We are broadly interested in studies that reconcile methane emissions estimates between multi-scale measurements (e.g., satellites vs. aerial surveys vs. continuous monitoring systems), or between measurements and official inventories. We also welcome case studies demonstrating oil and gas methane partnership (#OGMP 2.0) level-4 and level-5 reconciliations. Don't miss this opportunity to engage with cutting-edge research in the field. Please share with your network and submit abstract HERE at https://lnkd.in/grjaKBYx ! Other related sessions to methane emission society at AGU 24: SY028 - Greenhouse Gas Lifecycle Assessments of Global Natural Gas Supply Chains. Link: https://lnkd.in/g9yDNFdS SY043 - Regulatory and Voluntary Initiatives for Differentiating Oil and Gas Supply Chain Emissions. Link: https://lnkd.in/gcX46SfQ A033 - AI techniques for sensor fusion and GHG emission estimation from atmospheric observations. Link: https://lnkd.in/gASwkqXK A076: Emissions and Air Quality Impacts of Atmospheric Pollutants from Oil, Gas, and Coal Operations https://lnkd.in/g2RUi_Rt A129 - Targeting methane mitigation: Quantification of anthropogenic methane sources at all scales through atmospheric measurements. Link: https://lnkd.in/ggRpqNn2 B047 - Exploring Methane Dynamics in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems via Advanced Bottom-up, Top-down, and AI/ML Modelling. Link: https://lnkd.in/g7SErKUK B066 - Methane Emission Feedbacks from Natural Systems: Reducing Uncertainties from the Tropics to the Poles. Link: https://lnkd.in/gXyFYi5G B107 - The Global Methane Budget. Link: https://lnkd.in/g42aaSSc GC096 - Methane Mitigation – Novel Approaches to Reduce Methane Emissions and Remove Atmospheric Methane. Link: https://lnkd.in/guCYaC4S GC116 - New Technologies and Frameworks to Detect and Analyze Methane Emissions from the Oil and Gas Supply Chain: Methods, Data, and Insights. Link: https://lnkd.in/gJVxtUUT GH014 - Health Impacts of Methane Emissions and Co-Pollutants from Oil and Gas Operations. Link: https://lnkd.in/gN9V6-P8

"Analysis: Operators can expect significant exposure to public satellite methane data," With LongPath, you can cover your assets -- temporal and spatial coverage for quantification, intermittency, and total site emissions. We've got your back. The authors argue that this data will make it more difficult for operators to hide methane emissions and could lead to increased regulatory scrutiny and pressure to improve their methane management practices. https://lnkd.in/gFUDwTQi Jeff Rutherford Director of Research and Development (Ph.D.) Thomas Fox, PhD President, Highwood Emissions Management #satellitedata #methanedata #methane #emissions #monitor #oilandgas #oilandgasindustry #energy #environment