EDF and Google use MethaneSAT satellite and AI to trace methane emissions

The Environmental Defense Fund and Google partnered to combine EDF's MethaneSAT satellite, launched in March, with Google's AI and infrastructure-mapping expertise to map and trace methane emissions from oil and gas sites with high precision. The actionable emissions data, available via Google Earth Engine, is relevant to Indian energy companies and regulators monitoring methane from oil and gas infrastructure.

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Google announced a partnership combining EDF's MethaneSAT satellite with Google's AI and infrastructure-mapping expertise to detect methane, a potent greenhouse gas. MethaneSAT, launched in March, orbits Earth 15 times daily to map and locate methane emissions with high precision across key oil and gas areas. Google Cloud powers methane detection algorithms, while AI trained on satellite imagery pinpoints oil and gas infrastructure worldwide, enabling EDF to quantify and trace emissions to their source.

Energy companies, researchers, and public institutions are affected, as the data enables targeted action to reduce emissions from oil and gas infrastructure. The partnership will build a global map of oil and gas infrastructure, identifying components like storage tanks, and overlaying MethaneSAT's emissions data to reveal which infrastructure elements contribute most to leaks. Investors can use the actionable insights to address leaks in specific facilities, while operators and regulators gain a tool for monitoring leak-prone elements and enabling preventative measures.

Oil and gas operators and regulators should monitor MethaneSAT data, made readily available through Google Earth Engine, to simplify trend analysis and uncover associations between human activity and environmental impact. Affected entities can use the global infrastructure map to identify leak-prone components and implement proactive mitigation. Energy companies should track how the satellite and AI combination guides targeted emission reduction efforts and prepare for increased transparency around methane emissions from their infrastructure.

Key figure — Satellite coverage: MethaneSAT orbits Earth 15 times daily