Duke Energy’s Net‑Zero Mission & Strategy

Duke Energy’s Net-Zero Mission

Source:

https://www.accenture.com/in-en/case-studies/utilities/duke-energy-powers-ai-platform

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Problem:

Duke Energy, one of the largest energy-holding companies in the US, is committed to reducing methane emissions as part of its broader sustainability goals. With an ambitious target of achieving net-zero methane emissions in its gas distribution business by 2030, the company recognized that meeting this goal would require surpassing existing US EPA regulations.

Gas distribution refers to the process of delivering natural gas from high-pressure transmission pipelines to end users (homes, businesses, and industries) through a network of lower-pressure pipelines.

While Duke Energy explored innovative technologies such as satellite-based monitoring, it faced challenges in developing a comprehensive, end-to-end approach for detecting, monitoring, and mitigating emissions. The company needs a solution that would not only enhance real-time emissions tracking but also establish a predictive maintenance framework to prevent future leaks proactively.

Solution:

Duke Energy developed an Azure-based cloud platform to enhance methane emissions monitoring and support its net-zero goals. This technology-driven platform integrates satellite monitoring, analytics, and AI to precisely track emissions from natural gas distribution assets, such as pipelines and gas meters.

By presenting real-time insights through graphic dashboards, the system ensures that data is accessible across all levels of the organization, enabling better decision-making.

The platform functions by collecting methane emission data via satellite imaging, unmanned aerial vehicles and aerial light detection and ranging, which is then processed using AI-driven analytics to pinpoint leak sources and trends.

These findings are displayed in a visual dashboard, allowing teams to prioritize high-risk leaks and act swiftly to mitigate them. This end-to-end solution transforms the way methane emissions are detected, assessed, and managed.

Near real-time leak remediation can help Duke Energy to reduce methane emissions while making operational systems more resilient, delivering results with more accurate, holistic insights for leadership decision-making.

With pinpoint-accurate geolocation data, workers will be able to find leaks in minutes compared to physical inspection of pipelines and other assets—and repair them more quickly. The solution also has the potential to identify system vulnerabilities and prevent future leaks.

Once scaled across all asset types, emission categories and jurisdictions, the platform will help Duke Energy’s natural gas business reduce methane emissions and achieve its net-zero methane goals for 2030. Importantly, this solution has the potential to accelerate the journey to net zero for the industry.

As per reports, Duke Energy reduced recordable leaks by more than 85% since the beginning of 2022 and also received $1 million of funding by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. (Source)