Global regulations
By Gerry Oberst
Green Satellites
is the satellite industry green? The issue of the
environmental impact of satellites was raised by Eutelsat
CEO Giuliano Berretta at the SATELLITE 2008 conference
in February. “It’s the only type of transmission that
works on solar energy,” he said during the opening panel
session. “I think we are the most ecological means of
transportation.”
Satellites also contribute in a variety of ways to environmental protection. Europe recently has been emphasizing the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) as a system to provide better information
on Earth’s atmosphere and climate change. Replacing
old terrestrial radar networks with satellite technology
could substantially reduce aviation CO2 emissions by
allowing planes to fly more efficient patterns. Satellite
navigation tools can be used to make many industries
more efficient as well as enable individuals to track their
carbon footprint while traveling. Satellite technology even
has helped with solar energy, primarily through the use
of meteorological satellites to assess placement and viability of solar panels.
But do satellite services themselves provide a better
environmental solution than terrestrial-based services
— taking into account the impact of satellite launches
and other infrastructure use?
The entire information and communications technology (ICT) sector is said to be responsible for about 2 percent of overall carbon dioxide emissions. This estimate
includes equipment manufacturing as well as telecommunications infrastructure and operation. The validity
of the estimate and how it might break down by communications sector is unknown. Nevertheless, the satellite
industry is starting to argue that replacing or complementing an entire ground-based infrastructure, including the enormous number of masts, antennas and other
equipment that the satellite platform makes redundant,
could have an impact.
Some argue that digital television transmitters produce significantly greater carbon emissions than satellite television systems, because satellites rely on solar
power for most of their power and
thus provide a greener alternative
to expensive terrestrial buildouts. A
U.K. trade group, “UK Space,” estimated in 2006 that just the 50 most
Gerry Oberst is
a partner in the
Hogan & Hartson
Brussels office.
powerful analog television transmitters in that country
(out of a total of 1,400) required 54 megawatts of electricity, representing a quarter of a million tons of CO2 per
year that could be replaced by satellites that essentially
use no terrestrial electricity at all.
Satellite manufacturer EADS Astrium more recently
noted that satellite would have provided “a greener infrastructure choice” for the digital switchover in the United Kingdom than digital terrestrial and could provide a
green next-generation access network for the whole of
the United Kingdom.
The trade group Intellect, also based in the United
Kingdom, took a stab at assessing how ICT technologies
generally could affect environmental change. “Space and
satellite applications are truly disruptive technologies that
offer dramatic potential for replacing traditional terrestrial processes with low energy alternatives,” the group
said in its publication “High Tech: Low Carbon,” released
in February during an energy and environmental conference in London.
Intellect’s report took into account the satellite launch
industry when analyzing how satellite technology could
save energy and carbon emissions. It noted that a satellite
launch vehicle emits less CO2 than a single transatlantic
flight and the mission is a one-off event for each satellite. Intellect also pointed out that at least one launch
site, Arianespace’s Kourou facility, relies on hydroelectric
and ethanol power. Satellite manufacturer EADS Astrium
added that once placed into orbit, a communications satellite consumes such a small amount of fuel that it averages about “ 3 million miles to the gallon.” Future satellite
systems “provide a greener IC T network alternative for a
wide range of service providers,” says Intellect.
Additional information can be gleaned from environmental impact statements about launch sites, at least in
the United States. Those documents assess all types of
environmental impact but do not examine the quantity
of CO2 emissions. There also is older research on clean
launch propellants which could take additional work in
the new context of climate change theory.
To take this argument to its conclusion probably will
require a more rigorous assessment of the full satellite
supply chain. That is likely true for all industries, however,
and satellite is already starting to make the case that it is
greener than the rest.
