Google, EDF help PSE&G reduce methane leaks from its natural gas system

The largest utility company in New Jersey, US, Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G), has been working closely with Google Earth Outreach and international non-profit organization Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to reduce methane leaks from its natural gas distribution system much faster than before using a new technology.

Developed by EDF, Google and Colorado State University, the technology is helping the utility prioritize which aging pipes are replaced first during its three-year, US$905 million gas infrastructure replacement program.

The key breakthrough is measuring the volume of gas escaping, and not just the number of leaks. Using data gathered by a specially-equipped Google Street View mapping car, PSE&G was able to reduce methane emissions from targeted areas by 83%, and do it more quickly than otherwise possible.

PSE&G achieved this emission reduction by replacing 35% fewer miles of pipe than if the utility had not used the data gathered by EDF and Google. The typical cost of replacing a mile of gas line on PSE&G’s system is about US$1.5 million to US$2 million.

Leaking natural gas – which is mostly methane – has a powerful effect on the climate. Methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over a 20-year time frame. These leaks are a persistent challenge for utilities, particularly in the Northeast US, where natural gas infrastructure is older.

EDF President Fred Krupp said that reducing methane emissions is one of the quickest ways to protect the climate.

EDF and partners began publicly testing their new way to measure natural gas leaks in 2014. Intrigued by the methodology, PSE&G asked to collaborate with EDF to measure leaks in portions of their natural gas distribution system slated for replacement. By 2018, PSE&G plans to replace up to 510 miles of aging cast-iron and unprotected steel gas lines, under a program approved a year ago by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.

“Under our US$905 million program, we are accelerating the modernization of our gas system, replacing 170 miles of pipe each year versus an average of 54 miles in the past,” said Ralph La Rossa, president and COO of PSE&G.

PSE&G gave EDF information on the location and type of gas lines in target areas. A Google Street View car spent six months gathering millions of readings over hundreds of miles of roadway in some of the most densely populated areas in New Jersey, including parts of Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Passaic counties.

The team used algorithms refined over several years to assess the vast data stream. PSE&G replaced sections with the highest company rankings first, and used EDF’s ranking to prioritize the rest, locking in methane reductions quickly while keeping safety the top consideration.

The mapping cars found an average of about one leak for every mile of gas line within grid areas where leak flow rate was quantified. The maps represent a snapshot in time and may not reflect current leaks.

A number of the leaks identified through this collaborative project have already been repaired or eliminated through the replacement of cast iron pipes, including all leaks deemed hazardous by PSE&G’s existing leak grading system.