SPECTRAL TOKEN
Spectral and Alliander have launched a groundbreaking new blockchain-based energy sharing token at De Ceuvel in Amsterdam. Named the ‘Jouliette’, the new token aims to empower individuals and communities to easily manage and share their locally produced renewable energy.
On the 15th of September, Spectral teamed up with Alliander to launch a new blockchain-based energy sharing token at De Ceuvel, an urban incubator for cleantech concepts in Amsterdam. The goal of the token is to analyze whether blockchain technology can be used to create greater social value and to support a bottom-up movement in the transition towards a more distributed, robust and transparent economy, harvesting 100% renewable energy supply. The new token, the ‘Jouliette’ -named after the Joule unit of measurement for energy- aims to empower owners of photovoltaic installations to sell the energy that they generate on a peer-to-peer basis, making it the first initiative of its kind in the Netherlands.
What makes this unique ecosystem possible at De Ceuvel is the fact that the site features a private (renewable energy-based) smart-grid. This enables the community to exchange renewable energy (independent of the national electricity grid) produced by their photovoltaic (PV) panels, without any restrictions, and therefore avoid existing market barriers. With the Jouliette platform, the De Ceuvel community can easily manage their own micro-economy, and unlike purely speculative currencies, the Jouliette tokens are backed up by physical energy production. Beyond just enabling energy exchange, the community will be exploring further applications for the Jouliette, such as using it to trade for goods at the De Ceuvel Cafe, to facilitate a local time-banking system, and to integrate other intra-community services, such as a car-sharing program.
Philip Gladek, CEO, Spectral, said: “The Jouliette and its associated broader applications represents an important step forward towards realizing a local, circular, resource-based economy. We’re excited to launch it at De Ceuvel, which has become a globally visible showcase for sustainable urban development and a hub for cleantech innovation. In the coming months, the De Ceuvel community will be experimenting with the Jouliette in practice, and engaging in a number of user experience design sessions to take the platform to the next level, together with the system developers. We are looking forward to taking this idea forward and helping it scale up across the wider Buiksloterham community and beyond, to realise its full potential.”
Pallas Agterberg, Strategy Director, Alliander, said: “In general society looks at big solutions when it comes to the transition towards a renewable energy system, like underground CO2 storage and big offshore wind farms. That makes the energy transition intangible, expensive and out of reach for many people. We want a cost neutral acceleration in the renewable transition, and perhaps even one with a cost reduction. But then we need a decentralized model which facilitates greater local interaction and incentivizes direct peer to peer exchange of renewable energy. We look forward to exploring how concepts like the Jouliette can help lead the transition we need to see.”
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