Thermal imagery satellites and the CCC
On 13 June
the successful launch of the HOTSAT-1 satellite was reported by the SatVu
company (SatVu, 2023a). It was described as the first of eight planned
satellites which because of their “unique thermal imaging capabilities” would provide
a “valuable and unique insight into economic activity and energy efficiency for
a range of industries aligning with global Net Zero goals.”
During
February of the previous year Alex Conacher (2022) wrote that “British
satellite company Satellite Vu has signed a deal with SpaceX to launch its
satellites into low earth orbit in early 2023. The company’s satellites collect
thermal data of the built and natural environment and are capable of measuring
the heat signature of a building several times per day.”
Prior to the
launch SatVu explained that the “pioneering space technology” had already been
deployed in a UK test flight which showed its potential to map heat loss from
houses, identifying “buildings most in need of retrofitting action.” SatVu
claimed that its aerial thermal imaging technique offered “an unprecedented
level of detail and scale, allowing local authorities to more effectively
target funding for retrofitting homes by being able to identity the hottest
buildings in the data set, those most in need of retrofitting and insulation.”
(SatVu, 2023b).
In another
press release, SatVu gave technical details of the project, which it regards as
“representing a paradigm shift in commercial thermal imaging technology"
(SatVu 2023c). HOTSAT-1 provides a 3.5m
resolution mid-wave infrared imager with a sensitivity of less than 2 degrees
Celsius. Its satellite video generation capability can detect dynamic features
and allows the creation of 3D profiles, useful in applications ranging from the
study of urban heat islands to the monitoring of industrial processes and
assessing the health of solar farms.
On the eve
of the launch, Jonathan Amos (2023) wrote that from its altitude of 500km HOTSAT-1
“will have the resolution to see individual roof tops and walls” thus allowing
buildings with high energy loss to be identified as candidates for retrofitting
with better insulation. He quoted Anthony Baker, the CEO of SatVu, as claiming
that the “the worst 20% of buildings” could be identified very quickly, and
that after insulation upgrades their performance could be checked again from
orbit. Amos wrote that the Ordnance Survey (OS) will have early access to HOTSAT-1's
data, and background on the work of the OS in tracking environmental impact
using satellite data is provided by Lyndsay (2023).
It seems
likely that heat loss from roofs will be more easily seen from orbit than heat
loss from walls, so that the method might be more accurate for buildings where
most heat loss is in fact through the roof. Satellite imaging might also be
useful in monitoring reflectivity of surfaces, and thus addressing cooling
issues in hot weather. Cooling by means of reflective roofs was addressed by
Hes, 2012, and more recently by Energy Saver, 2023.
The
optimistic picture of progress towards reducing heat loss from buildings
through satellite imagery which is provided by the above accounts should
perhaps be put in the context of the existing situation in the UK and of the UK
government’s progress towards achieving its net zero targets.
Engineering
and Technology magazine commented recently on the program of home insulation which
is needed in the UK and on the benefits which could result (E&T, 2023a). It
quotes Citizens Advice, which has called for improvements to the energy
efficiency of the homes of 31 million people by 2030. This could cut consumers’
bills by £24bn, save the NHS £2bn, cut new cases of childhood asthma by
650,000, and have economic and social benefits. A related article (E&T,
2023b) refers to pressure on the UK government to “accelerate the delivery of
providing insulation to homes if it is to meet energy-efficiency targets.” It
cites analysis from Frontier Economics that “the Government is on track to insulate
just one sixth of the homes needed to meet its target of reducing energy
consumption by 15 per cent.” In addition “1.5 million homes will need heat
pumps instead of gas boilers with a further 600,000 homes connected to
low-carbon heat networks.”
A wider
picture of the UK’s efforts to reach net zero emissions was provided by the Climate
Change Committee’s 2023 Progress Report to Parliament. In a letter to the Prime
Minister of the UK dated 28 June 2023, accompanying this report, Lord Deben,
chair of the CCC wrote that “in the minds of many people, climate change truly
arrived” during last summer’s record-breaking heatwave, which caused “unprecedented
numbers of heat-related deaths, wildfires, and significant disruption.” He
referred to the legal commitments of the Climate Change Act and the UK’s
international obligations, and the latest assessment by the CCC of “how well
the UK is doing to reduce emissions.” His current assessment was that the
government’s “failure to act decisively in response to the energy crisis and
build on the success of hosting COP26 means that the UK has lost its clear
global climate leadership while game-changing interventions from the US and
Europe, which will turbocharge growth of renewables, are leaving the UK
behind.” Urgent action is required on the lines indicated by the CCC’s latest
report to reclaim the UK’s climate leadership role, and “Our children will not
forgive us if we leave them a world of withering heat and devastating storms
where sea level rises and extreme temperatures force millions to move because
their countries are no longer habitable.” (Deben, 2023).
The report
to which Lord Deben referred (CCC, 2023) contained references to the lack of
urgency in the government’s policy framework; the need for the UK to regain a
clear climate leadership role internationally and to develop demand-side and
land use policies; the need for radical reform of the planning system to support Net Zero;
and the necessity of moving away from high-carbon developments and managing airport
capacity. It also made reference to the need to “Empower and inform households
and communities to make low-carbon choices. Despite some positive steps to
provide households with advice on reducing energy use in the last year, a
coherent public engagement strategy on climate action is long overdue.”
The CCC
report is relevant to the discussion of satellite technology which formed the
earlier section of this post, as it suggests that without government commitment
to its legal emissions targets, the opportunities offered by new infrared
surveillance technology may be missed.
References
Amos, J.,
2023, HotSat-1: Spacecraft to map UK's heat inefficient buildings, BBC, 12 June
2023, online, accessed 29 June 2023
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-65775901
CCC, 2023, 2023
Progress Report to Parliament, 28 June 2023, CCC, online, accessed 28 June 2023
https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/2023-progress-report-to-parliament/
Conacher,
A., 2022, Thermal imagery satellites to detect heat loss, February 23, 2022,
Engineering Matters, online, accessed 29 June 2023
https://engineeringmatters.reby.media/2022/02/23/thermal-imagery-satellites-to-detect-heat-loss/
Deben, The
Rt. Hon. the Lord, 2023, Letter: 2023 Progress Report to Parliament to Rt. Hon
Prime Minister, 28 June 2023, CCC, online, accessed 28 June 2023
E&T,
2023a, Insulating British homes, E&T,
20 June 2023, online, accessed 28 June 2023
E&T,
2023b, Companies urge Government to ‘step up’ plans to deliver insulation targets,
E&T, 26 June 2023, online, accessed 28 June 2023
Energy
Saver, 2023, Cool Roofs, Energy Saver, online, accessed 30 June 2023
https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/cool-roofs
Hes, D.,
2012, Cooling the urban heat island with more reflective roofs, The Conversation, online, accessed 30
June 2023
https://theconversation.com/cooling-the-urban-heat-island-with-more-reflective-roofs-5038#
Lyndsay, D.,
2023, Tracking environmental impact, Ordnance Survey, online, accessed 30 June
2023
https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/insights/tracking-environmental-impact
SatVu, 2023a,
The ‘World’s Thermometer’ reaches orbit - SatVu's Revolutionary "HOTSAT-1"
successfully launches, SatVu, online, accessed 29 June 2023
https://www.satellitevu.com/press
SatVu,
2023b, Pioneering space tech to accelerate decarbonisation of housing, SatVu,
online, accessed 29 June 2023
https://www.satellitevu.com/press/pioneering-space-tech-to-accelerate-housing-decarbonisation
SatVu
2023c, SatVu's Revolutionary "HOTSAT-1" Set to Launch, Unleashing
Unprecedented Thermal Monitoring Capabilities, SatVu, online, accessed 30 June
2023
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