How Regenerative Finance (ReFi) Aims to Fix the $3 Trillion Climate Energy Gridlock

Introduction

Here are a few climate shockers to jolt you awake.

• The AI arms race will make global data center electricity consumption double to around 945 TWh by 2030. That’s only Japan's entire annual consumption.
• Bitcoin mining uses 138-168 TWh yearly, up 17% over 12 months, with  half from fossil fuels.
• Cyberattacks on energy utilities have tripled in four years, threatening our way of life.

In 2025, it feels at times like we’re trying to bolt renewable energy onto a grid as outdated as fossil fuel. If global powerhouses can't stop wasting vital energy, how can we expect better from the rest of the world? We don’t only need smarter systems, but trustworthy ones.

A new generation of Web3 companies aims to chart a different course to fully renewable energy, not through massive government programs, but by letting regular people own pieces of the energy system. They use blockchain for a variety of purposes, for example anchoring AI to verified data in order to bring better transparency, traceability, and resilience to existing infrastructure and promote decision-making.

While DePIN has been on the radar of crypto investors for a while now, ReFi is still flying under the radar, since it’s not a purely-for-profit investment play.

Comparing ReFi with DeFi and DePIN

• restore the environment
• improve social equity,
• and create sustainable economic systems

It ensures capital flows toward activities that regenerate natural resources rather than depleting them.

Regenerative projects need more than funding—they need decentralized infrastructure. ReFi funds the mission; DePIN lays the rails to deploy it. Together, they let anyone own, operate, and profit from clean energy expansion.

Why Do We Coordinate Energy Needs So Poorly?

Clean energy expansion isn't just about technology. Yes, solar panels work fine, batteries are cheaper, and EVs are improving rapidly.

• Solar installations hit 600 GW globally in 2024, exceeding the previous 25 years combined.
• The global EV charging station market will grow from $32 billion to $125 billion by 2030.

This is not the issue. The real problem is coordination.

Expanding clean energy requires millions of individual decisions that collectively create a new energy system. We need homeowners installing solar, drivers buying EVs, property owners hosting charging stations, and investors funding it all, seamlessly working together.

Traditional approaches rely on government policies, utility planning, or corporate rollouts. These work but are slow, expensive, and often exclude entire communities.

Is Our Energy System Broken?

Let’s picture the current electrical grid as a 1950s highway system trying to handle the demands of modern traffic: now half the cars drive backwards (rooftop solar units), some stop randomly to refuel (EV transport) and there’s triple as many cars on the road (AI data center demands). Plus, the highway is riddled with robberies (read:hacked).

Dr. Jemma Green, co-founder of Powerledger, states: "Our legacy grids weren't designed for decentralized energy or intelligent systems. The question isn't just how we power the future, but who gets access and on what terms."

ReFi projects flip this equation. Instead of sacrificing profits for the planet, they ask: what if fixing the climate was profitable? What if owning solar panels or EV chargers was simply good business?

Rather than waiting for government grid rebuilds, ReFi projects test whether economic incentives can solve coordination problems better than central planning.

ReFi in 2025: Four DePIN Approaches on Solana to Energy Problems

Powerledger: Real Markets for Real Energy Problems

"As AI pushes global energy demand to new heights, the question isn't just how we power the future, but who gets access and on what terms," says Dr. Green. "If we want clean energy truly resilient, auditable, and available to all, blockchain must be part of the foundation."

DeCharge: Scaling EV Access With an Airbnb Model

With over 300 chargers deployed globally and early traction in Paris and Stockholm, DeCharge targets 30,000 units across the U.S., EU, and Asia. Their plug-and-earn model aims to bypass centralized EV infrastructure bottlenecks through community-led growth.

"DeCharge equips hosts with hardware, software, and on-chain token rewards, while hosts provide the space, unlocking income for local shopkeepers, restaurants, and residential owners. The aim is technology-readiness for autonomous vehicles, robot taxis, and drone logistics."

Sourceful: Coordinating the Grid From the Edge

While 2024 saw 600 gigawatts of new solar installations, over 1.65 terawatts of clean energy remains stuck in grid queues. Without real-time coordination, these assets risk overwhelming outdated systems.

According to founder, Fredrik Ahlgren, "Solar has beaten the cost curve; what's left is the coordination curve. Acceleration isn't optional; it's how abundance becomes mundane."

Sourceful aims to turn existing home energy equipment such as solar panels, batteries and smart meters into coordinated infrastructure. Smart gateways are designed to buy cheap electricity automatically and sell at peak prices, while aggregating thousands of homes into virtual power plants. They currently operate 400+ active nodes across 30 countries.

ReFi Hub: Tokenizing Energy Infrastructure With Yield

"By 2030, there will be a quarter-billion EVs and trillions in clean energy demand. Through Solana, we're making it possible for anyone to own pieces of solar panels and EV chargers,  yielding real returns," explains founder Christian Chegne.

Is ReFi For Real?

While it’s still early for ReFi, the numbers are encouraging. Early participants are installing hardware, with some reporting earnings and contributing to sustainable infrastructure development. For example, DeCharge hosts earn revenue from charging stations, Powerledger's energy trading reduces transmission losses, Sourceful's coordination prevents energy waste, and ReFi Hub users earn yield.

However, scale remains the big question. Pilot projects with hundreds of participants differ vastly from coordinating millions through blockchain incentives. Most ReFi protocols remain in early stages with unclear massive-scale economics.

Energy is heavily regulated globally. These projects work in friendly jurisdictions, but what happens when they encounter utility monopolies or restrictive government policies?

Blockchain systems tokenomics can also spiral out of control. Traditional infrastructure may be slow and inefficient, but it's battle-tested.

While any great transformation require obstacles to overcome. ReFi projects bet that decentralization benefits outweigh these risks.

Why ReFi Matters

Whether these specific projects succeed, they're proving something important: people will build renewable energy infrastructure if it's profitable enough. This sounds obvious but represents a radical departure from typical climate action thinking, which is to adopt of a scarcity instead of an abundance mindset:

• Traditional climate narrative focuses on sacrifice: drive less, use less energy, accept higher costs.
• The ReFi narrative emphasizes opportunity: why not make money building the clean energy system we need anyway so it can happen faster?

This framing shift could be transformative. Instead of asking people to care about polar bears, you ask them to care about their wallet. Rather than relying on government mandates, you create market incentives. Instead of waiting for corporate infrastructure builds, you crowdsource it.

Dr. Green summarizes: "If we want clean energy to be truly resilient, auditable, and available to all, blockchain must be part of the foundation."

The question isn't whether blockchain will solve climate change, because it won't, not alone at least. Rather, it’s whether blockchain-based coordination can mobilize resources faster and more efficiently than traditional approaches.

As the world rebuilds global energy infrastructure over the next decade, we'll need all hands on deck.