Green Gas: Law and Policy for Renewable Gas – a Comparative Study of Models for Guarantees of Origin and Incentives Using Blockchain

Overview

This project will:

Research and document key features of models to incentivise renewable gas;
Examine the European model of guarantees of origin for renewable energy, and consider its application to the context of renewable gas;
Examine the hypothesis that the preferable incentive mechanism for Australia would be a certificate approach on a national level;
Apply the literature regarding blockchain to this context: Explore the use of new technologies (blockchains and smart contracts) to automate trust and support decentralisation and democratisation of resources and infrastructure projects.

This project will examine particular aspects of law reform that are urgently needed to drive development of a Renewable Gas industry in Australia.

Contribution to Knowledge

The topic of legal frameworks for developing and supporting the uptake of Renewable Gas is a relatively under-researched frontier in Australian environmental and energy law. The project will contribute to the broader existing literature regarding the adaptation of the law to technological innovations. The project is particularly innovative because there is currently little Australian literature that combines an examination of market mechanisms for environmental protection with a review of the implications of the disruptive potential of emerging blockchain technologies.