This covers the electricity demand of the heating systems of the offices, along with a part of the remaining electricity needs. The rest of our power is supplied by a green energy supplier.
Crypto-Currency ‘Jouliette’
In September 2017, Spectral Utilities (daughtercompany of Metabolic) introduced a new crypto-currency on De Ceuvel, named after the Joule, the international unit of energy. The Jouliette uses energy production as a starting point. Mining existing crypto-currencies such as Bitcoin consumes a lot of energy, while the Jouliette is generated by the user producing excess solar energy.
Jouliette stimulates the local production and exchange of renewable and so contributes to the energy transition and the local economy. It encourages solarpanel owners to exchange energy locally, instead of selling surplus power to the grid. De creation of new Jouliette’s is simple, transparant en based on smart meters. Through blockchain technology, points are generated and distributed among De Ceuvel community, and users are rewarded for smart and efficient usage of power and solarpanels. The Jouliettes can then be traded for power when needed, or for other things as well. The goal is to connect all of the Buiksloterham neighborhood to create a local smart grid.