BEIJING -- Chinese scientists have developed a new approach to estimate carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, which offers further insight on carbon reduction, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

This method of carbon dioxide emission inversion is based on an improved Gaussian plume model and data from the orbiting carbon observatory satellites, said Shi Yusheng, a researcher with the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) under the CAS and leader of the study team.

The existing emission inventory does not accurately reflect current CO2 emissions due to the lag in the statistical data and the accuracy limit for emissions factor.

The progress of remote-sensing technology sheds light on the carbon-emission monitoring sector. This method is based on measured data that is less prone to being impacted by human factors and statistical data errors. It also has a high time resolution, providing a unified standard for estimation, said Shi.

The validation results of the new method showed a high level of agreement with the existing emission inventory.

The method helps monitor and estimate important point sources of carbon emissions, which is a prerequisite for the power industry to carry out carbon reduction efforts, according to Shi.

The study results have been published in the Journal of Cleaner Production.