Renewable natural gas (RNG) is entering a new phase of growth and scrutiny. As projects scale across landfills, agricultural operations, and wastewater facilities, operators are facing increasing pressure to demonstrate methane performance with credible, measurement-backed data. In RNG, methane emissions are not only an environmental concern, they also directly affect gas recovery, operational efficiency, carbon intensity (CI) scores, and project economics. Methane sources within RNG systems can be intermittent, diffuse, and operationally complex, requiring a broader measurement approach that captures both the total emissions picture and where losses are occurring.
In this conversation with Bridger’s Global Director of Business Development, Dr. Peter Barber III, we explore how full-facility methane measurement and source attribution are reshaping emissions management in RNG. From improving operational performance and recovering lost revenue to strengthening credibility with regulators, investors, and buyers, methane measurement is becoming a core operational intelligence tool for the next generation of RNG development.
There are several market forces within RNG that are converging at once, and together they make the RNG market well aligned with what Bridger already offers today.
The first of these is that RNG is under pressure to prove methane performance. There is growing scrutiny around carbon intensity assumptions and emission inventories, so operators need to use credible measurement technologies to demonstrate performance. In addition, full-facility measurement fits RNG better than conventional leak detection and repair (LDAR) alone, since many emissions sources are intermittent, distributed across complex systems, and can be difficult to capture through traditional inspections.
As climate protocols and policy frameworks continue to evolve, regulatory and certification pressure on RNG operators continues to grow. They want faster and more actionable data—since methane emissions represent lost product/revenue.
Finally, the RNG sector is growing—not only is landfill gas being converted to RNG, but dairy digesters, wastewater, also need to detect their methane emissions and many are converting it to RNG for market.
Emission challenges in RNG can look deceptively like traditional oil and gas methane issues, but the sources, variability, and operational context are quite different. Emissions often come from small, distributed leak points rather than fewer concentrated process components. There is also more variability in RNG emissions stemming from feedstock changes, temperature, biological performance, retention time, and upsets in the digester-biology. In a nutshell, in RNG, the typical sources can shift day to day.
In my opinion, the biggest differentiation between RNG and conventional oil and gas emission detection is economics. RNG emissions can be harder to separate from process loss: a leak in RNG could be from lost product and process inefficiencies. This blurs the line between environmental emissions and operational yield losses, and thus makes emissions from RNG both a compliance issue and a yield optimization problem.
Our full-facility methane measurement is valuable in RNG because it addresses a core problem many RNG operators have: component-level LDAR often does not tell you what the whole site is actually emitting. Traditional surveys like OGI or Method 21 handhelds are great for component leaks, but often miss diffuse emissions from landfill surfaces or digester infrastructure for example. There could be inefficiencies in the collection systems within a landfill, or upgrading system methane slips, which all add to the necessity of full-facility measurements to capture the total methane picture.
Another issue is that lost methane equates to lost product/revenue for RNG. This means that every methane molecule escaping will affect gas sales, recovery efficiencies, renewable fuel economics, carbon-intensity (CI) performance, and project returns. Summing everything up, our full-facility methane measurements for RNG changes the conversation from leak detection to comprehensive performance management.
We combine facility-scale methane quantification with high-resolution plume localization to turn methane data into something RNG operators can act on operationally.
Our full-facility measurement establishes the total emissions picture. Our source attribution localizes the emissions, which means operators have targeted operational intelligence since they know where their loss is occurring and to what degree. Armed with quantifiable and attributable emission measurements, RNG operators can prioritize the highest emitting locations, the largest economic loss, or the most urgent, etc, as they see fit for their operations.
When RNG operators have both highly accurate measurements for their entire facility, paired with localized source attribution, they move from simply knowing they have an emissions problem to being able to surgically act.
RNG operators can move from detection to prioritized action quickly with that level of detailed knowledge, and how it plays into the larger picture of total loss across a facility, then they can optimize operations (not just repair leaks). They can quantify and recover lost revenue and shift from reactive to proactive/preventative management.
Measurement-backed data shifts the conversation from claims to actual, measurement-based evidence, and this changes credibility, risk perception, and commercial value.
Another way to look at it is through this lens: measurement-backed data helps RNG operators move from selling compliance to selling performance—from defending assumptions to demonstrating outcomes, and from managing emission risks to creating commercial advantages.
I think emissions measurements will move from being a monitoring activity to part of the operating system of RNG projects, where measurement will shift from a compliance tool to a core operating input. Furthermore, I think methane intensity (by extension CI) will become a managed performance metric for RNG facilities and will increasingly influence project finance (for example de-risking underwriting). I wouldn’t be surprised to see methane measurement move upstream into project design itself. Rather than building a project, operating it, and measuring emissions later, the industry appears to be moving toward designing facilities for measurable low-emissions performance from day one, influencing everything from digester configuration to gas collection infrastructure and system layout.
If I had to sum up our conversation, it’s this: you can’t manage what you can’t see, and methane measurement shouldn’t be viewed as only a reactive environmental exercise. Methane is a direct indicator of the overall health, efficiency, and performance of your RNG operations, and the right measurement strategy can help operators make better decisions across the entire facility. We’re here to support that process every step of the way.
As RNG projects continue to evolve, methane emissions measurement is becoming far more than a compliance exercise. The industry is moving toward a more proactive model where methane performance is treated as a core operational metric tied directly to efficiency, reliability, revenue protection, and long-term project value.
Highly accurate full-facility measurement paired with actionable source attribution gives RNG operators the visibility needed to move beyond assumptions, make smarter operational decisions, and demonstrate measurable performance with confidence. Bridger Photonics is committed to helping operators build more durable, high-performing RNG programs for the future.
Dr. Peter Barber III leads RNG business development at Bridger Photonics, focusing on expanding measurement-driven emissions strategies that improve operational performance and protect revenue. He brings more than 15 years of experience in sensing technologies, analytical chemistry, and energy infrastructure, with prior leadership roles at SeekOps, Ingevity, and Sensor Electronic Technology. Peter holds a Ph.D. in chemistry and an MBA, combining deep technical expertise with a strong commercial perspective.