Gulf Coast Center of Excellence  ·  Research

Leveraging Satellite Imagery for Industrial Energy Efficiency

Pairing publicly available satellite data with artificial intelligence to reveal industrial energy opportunities, quantify risks, and unlock savings at scale.

Researcher

Caleb McDougal

Satellite Imagery for Industrial Energy Efficiency

Research Conducted by: Caleb McDougal

Publicly available satellite data, paired with artificial intelligence, can reveal industrial energy opportunities, quantify risks, and unlock savings at scale. Our research is advancing along four fronts: onsite generation for mining and minerals, wastewater treatment efficiency, solar PV and grid stability, and thermal pre-assessment.

Overview graphic of the four research fronts: onsite generation at mining and minerals sites, aeration efficiency at wastewater treatment plants, solar PV and grid stability, and thermal pre-assessment of waste heat.
The four research fronts, each built on publicly available satellite imagery.

01  ·  Mining & Minerals

Onsite Generation

Identifying opportunities for onsite energy generation at Texas mining and minerals facilities, such as cement plants and quarries.


02  ·  Wastewater Treatment

Aeration Efficiency

Identifying Texas facilities that rely on inefficient practices by classifying aeration mechanisms from imagery and quantifying the energy savings available from upgrading them.

To support this work, a custom Site Imagery Review tool lets the team step through each wastewater site, view aerial imagery centered on its location, and save or skip each site with notes for classification.

Screenshot of the Site Imagery Review tool showing aerial imagery of a wastewater treatment plant beside a site details panel with save and skip controls.
The Site Imagery Review tool, used to review aerial imagery of Texas wastewater treatment sites.

03  ·  Solar PV

Grid Stability

Assessing how growing residential and commercial solar PV installations affect the stability of small grids.


04  ·  Waste Heat

Thermal Pre-Assessment

Using thermal imagery to quantify waste heat rejection, so heat recovery and containment recommendations can be developed before an auditor ever steps foot in the plant.


📡 Research in Progress

Results and publications from each of the four fronts will be posted here as the work develops.

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