http://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research_news/tech/202504/t20250411_1041031.shtml
https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/remotesensing.0469
According to scientists from the CAS Aerospace Information Research Institute, current satellite systems underestimate total CO₂ emissions from U.S. thermal power plants by 70% (±12%). important gaps in remote sensing technology include coarse spatial resolution (1.29×2.25 km² for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 satellite, or OCO-2; 1.6×2.2 km² for OCO-3), limited precision (approximately 1 ppm), and infrequent revisit cycles (every 16 days).
The study suggests that next-generation satellites—designed with a resolution of 0.5 km, a precision of at least 0.7 ppm, and daily monitoring capabilities—could reduce errors to below 20%. This advancement would significantly enhance global carbon accountability.
Thermal power generation accounted for 46% of the global increase in CO₂ emissions in 2021, emphasizing its critical role in climate action. While ground-based systems like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Markets Program Data (CAMPD) provide precise hourly emissions data, they lack global scalability. Current satellites, including NASA’s OCO-2 and OCO-3, have difficulty detecting smaller facilities, which make up 94% of coal-fired power plants (those under 900 MW) and 97% of gas-fueled plants (those under 600 MW). The study analyzed data from 1,060 U.S. power plants using 2021 satellite data and found that existing systems captured only 29% (±12%) of total emissions, mainly from larger facilities.
The study also assessed upcoming missions like the European Union’s Copernicus Anthropogenic CO₂ Monitoring Mission (CO2M), set to launch in 2025 with 0.7 ppm precision, 4 km² resolution, and 5-day revisit intervals, as well as China’s TanSat-2, which is designed for 1 ppm precision and daily global coverage. These new systems could detect 52% and 44% of total U.S. power plant emissions, respectively, marking a significant improvement over current capabilities.
Accurate emission inventories are vital for the Paris Agreement’s Global Stocktake, which measures progress toward limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
