“You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you absolutely have been found wanting” is a famous line from the 2001 Heath Ledger film A Knight’s Tale (Paul Bettany as Geoffrey Chaucer was the best character in the movie, but that is not the purpose of this post). But what does A Knight’s Tale have to do with the natural gas industry?
Presently, natural gas operators, whether upstream or midstream, face two distinct choices:
- Be chivalrous (often defined as courageous and honorable) by committing to continuous emissions monitoring, or
- Run the risk of being “weighed, measured, and found wanting” from beyond the fence line by relying on less frequent emissions detection protocols
Continuous emissions monitoring has never been more affordable, accurate, and accessible due to ongoing innovation and technological advancement. However, this presents both an opportunity and a challenge for natural gas companies.
On the one hand, natural gas companies committed to better understanding and reducing their emissions have the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to environmental stewardship and greater transparency by installing continuous emissions monitoring devices. On the other hand, natural gas companies that choose to maintain the status quo face the challenge of defending their operations and associated emissions. The increased use of satellites, planes, drones, and OGI cameras from beyond the fence line by regulators, environmental NGOs, and perhaps even concerned members of the general public alike brings a magnifying glass to emissions profiles.
So back to A Knight’s Tale. For those unfamiliar with the film, it’s about a peasant who poses as a knight and competes in jousting tournaments. He “changes his stars” after earning the admiration and respect of the future King of England and being granted his knighthood. While not nearly as exciting as jousting tournaments, natural gas companies can “change their stars” by embracing continuous emissions monitoring and, in so doing, improving their credibility and building some much-needed trust by shifting the status quo from reliance on lo-fi periodic leak detection protocols to hi-fi continuous emissions monitoring. They can ultimately help shape a new paradigm reliant on emissions quantification rather than estimating emissions based on generic emissions factors.