GHGSat Launches Satellite to Detect Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Individual Facilities
Canadian Company GHGSat Launches Vanguard Satellite
Canadian emissions monitoring company GHGSat launched a satellite called Vanguard on Saturday. The satellite aims to detect carbon dioxide emissions from individual facilities such as coal plants and steel mills from space for the first time.
Vanguard’s Launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base
Vanguard was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, according to GHGSat. The satellite is equipped with space-age technology to hold polluting industries accountable for their contributions to climate change.
Data Availability and Purpose
GHGSat’s data will be available for sale to industrial emitters who want to reduce their emissions, as well as to governments and scientists. This satellite will build on the growing network of satellites that are already spotting plumes of methane, an invisible greenhouse gas that is difficult to detect.
Impact on Carbon Dioxide Monitoring
Carbon dioxide accounts for nearly 80% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from human activities and tends to enter the atmosphere from large industrial sources like power plants. Satellites monitoring carbon dioxide in the atmosphere currently are not focused on facility-level emissions, GHGSat said.
Validation of Emissions Measurement
The data collected by Vanguard will help validate common practices of monitoring and measuring carbon dioxide emissions. Stephane Germain, CEO of GHGSat, stated that having a direct measurement of the entire facility from a satellite will act as a validation.
Quality Improvement and Corporate Reporting
The information collected by Vanguard will help improve the accuracy of government emissions inventories and scientific modeling. It will also enhance the quality of corporate greenhouse gas reporting for investors, according to GHGSat.
Impact on Methane Emissions
Satellites have already shown that methane emissions are broadly higher than estimated, and Germain said he suspected the same is true of carbon dioxide. This new information will help bolster the accuracy of government emissions inventories and scientific modeling.
The launch of Vanguard marks a significant milestone in the fight against climate change, and its data will provide valuable insights for various stakeholders.
