{"id":8131,"date":"2014-09-15T15:13:19","date_gmt":"2014-09-15T20:13:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=8131"},"modified":"2014-09-15T15:15:50","modified_gmt":"2014-09-15T20:15:50","slug":"lasers-circuit-boards-and-a-30-gizmo-innovative-solutions-to-the-methane-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2014\/09\/15\/lasers-circuit-boards-and-a-30-gizmo-innovative-solutions-to-the-methane-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"Lasers, Circuit Boards, and a $30 Gizmo: Innovative Solutions to the Methane Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Source: MIssy Schmidt\/Flickr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The technologies we see today didn\u2019t all start out in the forms we\u2019re used to. The phones we carry in our pockets used to weigh pounds, not ounces. Engineers developed hundreds of designs for wind turbines before landing on the three-blade design commonly seen in the field.<\/p>\n

Fast forward and now we’re looking at a drunk-driver-and-alcohol sensor that was converted into a methane leak detector. And a sensor purchased off the web for less than $30 that was transformed into a monitor that fights off greenhouse gases.<\/p>\n

I was excited to see the diversity of technologies such as these moving forward in the Methane Detectors Challenge<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Environmental Defense Fund\u2019s initiative with seven oil and natural gas companies\u2014including Shell and Anadarko Petroleum Company, the latest two to join\u2014seeks to catalyze a new generation of technology for finding methane leaks<\/a> in the oil and gas sector \u2013 a powerful contributor to climate change.<\/p>\n

We each went into this challenge with a clear goal and a puzzle to solve – to identify the equivalent of a carbon monoxide detector for methane that could provide continuous detection of methane leaks.<\/p>\n

It was a business puzzle as well: The innovations have to eventually come in at a price point of $1,000 or less.<\/p>\n

Our initial call brought in 20 proposed designs from across the globe. In the end, our team \u2013 in collaboration with the energy companies and expert advisers – chose five innovations to move forward in the Challenge.<\/p>\n

Submissions came from a range of sources, including universities, startups and established companies from across the United States as well as from Sweden and China – each with rich technical backgrounds.<\/p>\n

The innovations moving forward to the first round of testing are:<\/p>\n