Methane polluters beware.
Israel-based Momentick just landed $6.5 million to supercharge its technology, which seeks planet-warming methane leaks using advanced algorithms and satellite imagery.
The seed funding will help the company expand its market reach, according to a report posted on LinkedIn by Climate Insider.
"Momentick's mission is to provide a one-stop-shop emissions intelligence platform for countries, industries, and companies in order to demonstrate social responsibility and achieve their sustainability goals," Momentick CEO Daniel Kashmir said in the post.
The company claims that its blend of calculations and a "robust range" of satellite data provides customers with a low-cost way to pinpoint methane leaks on land or offshore, expediting action on the dangerous fumes.
Methane is a powerful, planet-heating gas with 80 times the warming force of carbon dioxide during its first two decades in the air, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.
Often, aging dirty fuel infrastructure is the source of massive leaks. Turkmenistan, for example, leads the world in super-emitter events. These are methane leaks at exceptional levels. The country had a spew in 2022 that released 471 tons an hour. There were more than 1,000 such events around the world that year that could turn into "climate tipping points," as the Guardian reported.
The media site also noted last year that Turkmenistan's leaders were planning to address the hazards. It seems that Momentick's team might have an apt way to keep tabs on those trouble spots.
An example of a satellite image shows a before-and-after look at a section of the planet using Momentick's algorithm to help pinpoint a leak. It's highlighted by a splotch of pastel colors, noting pollution concentration in parts per million. The pollution rate is also noted. In this case, it's a disastrous 628 kilograms, or 1,384 pounds, an hour.
Satellites are being utilized by planet-minded innovators elsewhere to help keep an eye on environmental health, in addition to methane spouts. In Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Quub is developing hundreds of small satellites to monitor the state of lakes, rivers, and other natural resources.
But contributing to the solution doesn't require a spacecraft. There are numerous ways to help reduce the volume of pastel methane bursts showing up on Momentick's satellite feeds. Using renewable energy reduces dependence on dirty fuels and the need for infrastructure that eventually leaks.
Meanwhile, cutting your food waste by just 5% can prevent pounds of methane-producing waste from heading to the landfill each year. Eating still tasty "ugly food" and using some storage hacks can help.
For now, the bigger super-emitters and other large leaks might be identified by space-based watchers out of Israel.
"Momentick is excited to reveal its technology to the world, working with customers on greenhouse gas emissions intelligence," Kashmir said in the Climate Insider story.
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