February 4, 2010 – California is planning to launch the largest greenhouse gas monitoring system in the world, installing monitoring devices on towers throughout the state. Initially, the focus of the data collection will be on methane, one of the State’s largest climate change contributors due to its large agricultural industry.

The project is the most ambitious large-scale emissions monitoring systems designed to date, according to the California Air Resources Board. While there are many individual monitoring stations around the world used to gather data about global GHG concentrations, the California system will be used to monitor localized emissions and assist in reaching statewide emissions targets.

California has purchased the equipment from Picarro, a Silicon Valley based firm. The New York Times reports that initially, the equipment will be deployed in the San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento Valley, and Los Angeles’ Mount Wilson. The two valleys are California’s largest agricultural areas, and as such will contain the highest concentrations of Methane.

The project will assist California in conforming to its latest climate change rules, requiring the state to reduce GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. The State has also vowed to charge companies for their emissions by the end of this year, institute a cap-and-trade system, and generate 33% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.