Our innovation, research & development, leadership and partnerships, are instrumental in helping us drive advancements that can bolster our long-term objective of advancing decarbonization.
The path to decarbonization requires research, development and innovation in the energy sector. Our cross-functional Fueling the Future of Innovation Council engages employees in training, ideation and other improvement challenges to creatively drive sustainability results and solve business problems. In addition to our company-led efforts, we also engage in meaningful partnerships to advance clean energy and climate technology.
R & D Collaborations
Southern Company Gas advances clean energy and climate technology through research and development collaborations. We’re a sponsor for the Low-Carbon Resources Initiative (LCRI), a worldwide collaboration between the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and GTI Energy, researching hydrogen technologies and applications, along with other low-carbon energy carriers. Other associations through Southern Company Gas and our parent company Southern Company include NYSEARCH, GTI-OTD, mHUB, HyBlend, MachH2, Energy Impact Partners, Evergreen Climate Innovations.
Investing in Technology
RNG Methane Recovery Technology
The Meadow Branch Landfill: Captures landfill methane and upgrades it to pipeline-quality RNG.
Virginia Natural Gas & Hampton Roads Sanitation District – Virginia: Converts biogas from the Atlantic Treatment Plant into RNG.
Meadow Branch Methane Capture Landfill
VNG Hampton Road Treatment Plant
Additional Technologies
Natural Gas Heat Pumps
Gas heat pumps are highly energy-efficient heating and cooling products that help reduce GHG emissions from commercial and residential buildings. We are part of the North American Gas Heat Pump Collaborative, which is working to accelerate the adoption of gas heat pump technologies that support decarbonization in North America.
Leak Detection & Repair
Our proactive approach to leak detection employs advanced leak detection technologies such as drones, stationary monitors and artificial intelligence-enabled cloud computing platforms like Urbint. We are a sponsor of GTI Energy’s Veritas effort aimed at creating technical protocols to assist in developing measurement-informed emission inventories. Leak detection and repairs are critical to reaching our sustainability goals and keeping our communities and team members safe.
Cross Compression
Advancing decarbonization requires innovation at every step of our operations. We use cross compression technology to capture and reuse natural gas during maintenance activities—preventing gas loss and improving efficiency. This approach helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions while providing a safe, reliable and scalable alternative to venting or flaring.
Explore More
-
Southern Company Gas engaged ICF to analyze how it can develop a pathway for decarbonization of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its operations.
Learn More -
Virginia Natural Gas is embracing technology and will be using aerial drones as another means to perform equipment inspections on its pipeline infrastructure.
Learn More -
Nicor Energy Ventures announces $100,000 investment in two mHUB climate and energy tech accelerator startups.
Learn More