Power Plant Surveillance

With backing from Google, a group of nonprofit organizations has launched an initiative to use satellite data and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor greenhouse gas emissions from every power plant on the planet. The system will utilize infrared sensors and other observation methods to monitor pollution in real time. Initially, the AI algorithms will provide information on overall pollution levels; however, over time, it’s expected that the components could be further analyzed into separate parts including carbon, methane, and particulates. Most importantly, the information will be accessible to the public.

Power plant emissions are a major driver of climate change, and transparent, third-party verification is key to filling in gaps in the monitoring and reporting process. But existing power plants will also benefit from more precise data for financial analysis of current operations. In addition, a system such as this can provide guidance to renewable energy developers as to where their future investments can have the greatest impact.

Making the data publicly available will empower citizens to put pressure on the worst offenders (as well as political leaders) to better enforce efficiency standards. It also has the potential to broaden public understanding of the scale of climate change and provide new insights on how to combat it.