In this special episode, Connor is joined by Abhay Kumar and Joey Hiller from Helium, as well as Fredrik Ahlgren and Tobias Ohlsson from Srcful to discuss Srcful’s proposal to build a decentralized energy grid on top of Helium Network infrastructure. Helium is one of the oldest, largest DePIN projects, mostly focused on building out wireless networks but now leveraging its vast footprint and community to support DePINs in other verticals like energy and mobility. Meanwhile, Srcful is developing a community-driven virtual power plant (VPP) that utilizes distributed energy resources (DERs) like solar panels and batteries to gather real-time energy production and consumption data and sell energy back to the grid. They discuss the development of virtual power plants, the economics of energy control in a global network, and how homeowners can participate in energy markets. Listen in as they explore the challenges and opportunities of building a physical infrastructure network with tokenomics, leveraging the Helium community, and expanding their network's reach. 00:00 - The expansion of the Helium network.

04:22 - Simplifying network participation for individuals and expanding beyond wireless.

08:27 - Srcful being inspired by Helium and creating a physical infrastructure network.

09:46 - The transition to renewable energy is reshaping the energy grid.

14:07 - Entering new markets is complex and expensive.

17:38 - Focusing on Helium IoT gateways for communication.

20:17 - Utilizing existing hardware for real-world verification.

26:00 - Consumer devices now connect via WiFi and Helium.

28:23 - Srcful-driven data transfer increases the value of HNT and IoT.

30:11 - Behind the intent to expand the Helium network, seeking community approval.

34:08 - Global energy market pricing and value proposition.

39:52 - Considering revising the subDAO utility score and therefore $HNT flows to include non-wireless on-chain revenue generated by non-wireless subDAOs

42:07 - Passion for new energy data is exciting.

44:16 - Excited about energy data and demand response.

Disclaimer: The hosts and the firms they represent may hold stakes in the companies mentioned in this podcast. None of this is financial advice.