By Leadership Academy Intern & Walt Whitman Student, Lucas Bravo
Methane Pollution is near impossible to track. Because methane is very loosely regulated, methane leaks in the gas and oil industries have gone largely undetected. In order to combat methane pollution (specifically, methane leaks in the gas industry) the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) started the Methane Detectors Challenge to foster the creation of precise methane sensors that can detect and contain future methane leaks. In order to get accurate measurements of methane emissions and determine how to prevent further leaks, the EDF teamed up with big oil companies and American tech developers to start the Methane Detectors Challenge (MDC). The goal of the MDC is to create efficient methane detector technology that can pinpoint methane leaks in real time. Developers create the technology that is needed to pinpoint gas leaks and oil companies such as PG&E, Statoil, and Shell purchase and deploy the highest performance equipment. This is only one step towards reducing greenhouse gas pollution to an acceptable level. In order to help achieve this goal, it is important for citizens to help spread the word. Every voice matters and bit by bit they will make a difference.
A diagram that shows the process of fracking as well as potential points at which natural gases could leak and pollute the air and water. (Hall)
What is Methane and why does it matter?
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that occurs abundantly in nature and is the primary component of natural gas. Methane is an odorless colorless gas that is a hydrocarbon. Methane’s chemical formula is CH₄ which consists of one carbon molecule bonded to four Hydrogen molecules. When methane is released into the atmosphere it is absorbed and offset by methane sinks like soil and methane oxidation in the troposphere (lowest atmospheric level). Anthropogenic methane production, on the other hand, can cause methane concentrations to increase at a rate that is higher than what methane sinks can offset.
the chemical structure of Methane
The main source of methane emissions in the gas industry is fracking, specifically the connections between a new, untapped wellbore, and other nearby wellbores. Wells will often be drilled in close proximity to pre-existing wells causing them to be interconnected, a phenomenon called “child welling.” Shale formations can vary in size, therefore, producers will drill multiple wells into one formation in order to maximize extraction potential thus increasing profits. Previously, producers were unaware that drilling multiple wells in close proximity increases the chances of ‘child well’ phenomena which in turn increases the probability of methane leaks occurring.
It’s in your backyard! Here are the closest oil and gas wells in Maryland. FRACTRACKER Alliance
Challenge Results and Participants
In January 2016, Statoil became the first energy producer to purchase a new solar powered detector device to continuously detect methane leaks. The technology was designed by Quanta3 a tech startup that specialized in laser-based systems. Weeks later Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) purchased a similar device from Acutect another Prominent start-up company. The challenge lead to the creation of precise methane detector technology that has been purchased by prominent energy producers in hopes of reducing emissions and maximizing profit. The challenge is still ongoing and this unlikely but fruitful partnership of the EDF, Tech developers, and energy producers will continue to make progress in methane leak prevention and mitigation.
Why is Methane Mitigation good for business?
Methane gas is not only a pollutant, but a product as well. Since methane is the primary constituent of natural gas. Oil and Gas companies put themselves and their investors at risk of financial and reputational damage by failing to adequately manage methane emissions. Also, two billion dollars in revenue are lost each year due to wasted, unburned gas. This is enough to meet the heating and cooking standards of seven million homes for a year. Another reason is because methane mitigation creates jobs. If methane standards were to be implemented, over 50,000 new jobs would be created in just 10 years. For those two reasons it is more profitable to mitigate methane emissions than to ignore them.
Sources
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Index of /resources/images. (2018). Marcellus.psu.edu. Retrieved 14 November 2018, from http://www.marcellus.psu.edu/resources/images/
Johnson Wright, I. (2018). Fracking: The Controversy Over its Safety for the Environment. Web.archive.org. Retrieved 12 November 2018, from https://web.archive.org/web/20130501060306/http://www.johnsonwright.net/newsletters/2011-December/Fracking-The_Controversy_Over_its_Safety_for_the_E
Peak Shale: Is the US Fracking Industry Already in Decline?. (2018). DeSmogBlog. Retrieved 12 November 2018, from https://www.desmogblog.com/2018/10/30/peak-shale-us-fracking-industry-permian-decline
Sterling, B. (2018). Fracking and methane. WIRED. Retrieved 12 November 2018, from https://www.wired.com/beyond-the-beyond/2016/03/fracking-and-methane/#start-of-content
Study Targets Methane Leaks Between Underground Wells. (2018). Climatecentral.org. Retrieved 12 November 2018, from http://www.climatecentral.org/news/study-targets-methane-leaks-between-wells-19582
Study Ties U.S. to Spike in Global Methane Emissions. (2018). Climatecentral.org. Retrieved 12 November 2018, from http://www.climatecentral.org/news/us-60-percent-of-global-methane-growth-20037
Turner, A., Jacob, D., Benmergui, J., Wofsy, S., Maasakkers, J., & Butz, A. et al. (2016). A large increase in U.S. methane emissions over the past decade inferred from satellite data and surface observations. Geophysical Research Letters, 43(5), 2218-2224. doi:10.1002/2016gl067987
