Vert proposes to develop a novel technology for the harvesting of energy from the natural gas distribution system. Vert will develop the novel Conical Rotary Expander (CRE) and work with G-Plus Technology Ltd as commercial partner in the integration of the CRE into fully-functional systems. Natural gas is distributed primarily through fixed pipeline networks. To drive the flow of gas through the system, its pressure is raised by large-scale compression stations located at major feed-in points and intermediate locations within the network. Together, these compressors consume many hundreds of megawatts of power to operate and raise the pressure within the distribution network to 30-50bar. The gas pressure required by the majority of end use applications is only 21mbar, the pressure is reduced in stages by throttling, so the majority of the energy added to the gas by compression is ultimately wasted. An opportunity exists to recover a significant portion of the energy invested in gas transmission by harvesting the energy released by the decompression of the gas from transmission pressures to end-use pressures. In concept, a device known as an expander would harvest the energy from the gas and drive an electrical generator. Through preliminary studies, Vert has identified that the unique pressure and flow capabilities of our patented Conical Rotary Compressor (CRC) are well suited to the expander application and will fill a critical gap between established technologies. While Vert has gained substantial experience in a range of gas compression and liquid pumping applications, the expander has not yet been addressed. The R&D-focused project enabled by this competition will enable Vert to evaluate the technical and commercial opportunities for adapting CRC technology to expander applications, enabling the company to explore opportunities in energy harvesting initially from natural gas distribution and later in a range of other applications. Under Phase 1 of this project, Vert will focus on developing and evaluating a novel expander technology. G-Plus will contribute technical and commercial specifications and provide commercial focus. In Phase 2, it is anticipated that Vert will carry out further refinement of the expander and associated technologies while G-Plus will focus on balance of plant, system-level validation and production/commercialisation.