There’s something in the air lately. And no, it’s not just wildfire smoke or Saharan dust.

It’s that feeling that the systems we rely on are starting to crack.

Many Spaniards spent the night at stations waiting for the power to come back on. / Europa Press via Getty Images

Last April 28th, much of Portugal and Spain went dark, leaving homes and hospitals temporarily powerless. While the exact cause is still being investigated, what we do know is that blackouts like these happen because the grid is already stretched thin.

For many, it meant a frustrating pause, with cold meals or disrupted commutes. But for the grid at large, it was something even louder: a warning shot.

The reality is, blackouts like this are becoming more common, not less. And they’re rarely caused by something as dramatic as sabotage or cyberattacks. More often, it’s old infrastructure struggling to keep up with new demand—demand that’s unfortunately growing faster than anyone’s ready for.

DePIN fam, we’re entering an era where energy is more than just invisible utility. Whether it's crypto mining, electric vehicles, or now AI, we’re piling load after load onto aging grids that weren’t built for this level of strain.

And here’s the twist: the AI boom has barely started.

Inside the Guian Data Center of China Unicom, which uses artificial intelligence in its operations. Tao Liang / Xinhua via Getty Images

So what happens when one of the most power-hungry technologies in history comes online… and the grid starts blinking?

Where does DePIN fit into all this, and are there real opportunities out there that can fund our bunkers? 👀

Let’s unpack the energy crisis no one’s talking about, and how early adopters are making it work for them.

In this blog, you’ll be reading about:

How a blackout across Portugal and Spain exposed deeper cracks in our energy systems. And why that’s just the beginning.
Why AI’s explosive growth is creating a power problem no one’s fully prepared for (yet).
How Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and DePIN are working together to turn local power into global coordination.
And how you can start earning by using tools that help fix the grid, from smart plugs to repurposed phones.

Explore Earn! and make the grid work for you →

The AI Boom Is Coming, and It’s Hungry

There’s no doubt AI is the next big thing.

It’s writing articles, diagnosing patients, even co-piloting jets. But as AI’s capabilities grow, so does something else: its appetite for energy.

AI is the key driver of growth in demand for data center capacity. / McKinsey & Company

Training a single large language model like GPT-4 can consume as much electricity as hundreds of homes do in a year. And that’s just the training. Once deployed, these models are run 24/7 across sprawling data centers worldwide—facilities that already account for nearly 2% of global electricity use, and climbing.

Big Tech knows it too. OpenAI, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are investing billions in new compute infrastructure. Nvidia’s chips are flying off shelves. Everyone’s chasing bigger models, faster inference, more power. But there’s a problem: where’s that power going to come from?

News headline that reads Google’s plan to invest over $100B in AI.

Analysts are already warning of regional energy shortfalls as AI demand ramps up. The grid (which is already buckling under heatwaves, EV charging, and outdated hardware) now has to feed a trillion-dollar AI ecosystem too.

Don’t get us wrong though. This isn’t about whether AI is good or bad; It’s about infrastructure math.

We’re plugging a supercomputer future into a pre-smartphone power grid. And when that tension snaps, it won’t just be tech companies that feel it—it’ll be everyday people in cities like Lisbon, Seville, or even yours.

So if the grid isn’t ready… what’s the alternative?

The Rise of DERs: What If the Power Didn't Have to Come From the Grid?

Listen. If the grid can’t keep up, maybe it’s time to rethink the grid. 💡

That’s where DERs (Distributed Energy Resources) come in.

Instead of relying on a massive, centralized system to generate and distribute power, DERs do the complete opposite. They include rooftop solar panels, home batteries, smart thermostats, EV chargers, and even small wind turbines—all operating at the edges of the grid, right where people live.

How DERs (Distributed Energy Resources) work together.

You can think of DERs as the internet of energy. Small nodes, everywhere, forming a flexible and resilient network.

DERs let communities generate and share energy locally.

During a blackout, they can kick in to power homes and neighborhoods.

During peak demand, they can feed excess power back into the system.

And unlike legacy infrastructure, DERs are modular. They grow as more people opt in.

The very awesome DERs don’t just make power more available; they make energy participatory. Users become contributors, households become micro-utilities, and cities become more self-reliant.

But here’s the thing: hardware alone isn’t enough. These systems need to coordinate. They need to incentivize. And they need to scale fast—globally, not just locally.

That’s where DePIN enters the picture.

How DePIN Builds on DERs and Supercharges the Energy Shift

While DERs are a critical shift in how we’ll handle the energy energy crises, they face one major hurdle: coordination.

You can have a million solar panels or smart plugs, but unless they work together in real time, they’re just fragmented potential.

That’s where DePIN comes in.

The DePIN project Glow and its impact on smart energy so far!

DePIN adds the missing ingredient to DERs: a trustless, token-incentivized layer for coordination and global scale. It’s what turns thousands of local devices into a unified virtual power plant.

Think of it as going from “everyone fending for themselves” to “everyone aligned on the same frequency.” No central utility needed.

DePIN energy doesn’t only help push for better solutions; it rewards you for it too!

DePIN protocols create a system where EVERYONE—from whole communities, to independent operators like you and I—can be rewarded for generating and sharing energy, all based on verifiable activity.

Need proof?

Projects like Daylight are leading the charge, giving users a way to turn excess energy data into rewards, while pooling rooftop solar and batteries into full-blown virtual power plants. And over at Sourceful, things are heating up with dual-mining, combining energy contributions and Helium-style connectivity rewards into a single, powerful DePIN play. It’s solar meets signal, and the grid’s never seen anything like it.

And then there’s Combinder, whose “Source Awakens” campaign is activating everyday users through smart devices, such as Shelly plugs. These affordable tools bring you DePIN-based rewards all while lowering costs and offering real-time insights into your home’s energy use.

Using the Combinder app on Shelly plugs.

💡

Ready to plug in for real?

Watch Combinder x peaq’s video on how DePIN can help fix the grid (and boost your wallet at the same time!) Then, join their campaign, The Source Awakens.

And hey, if you sign up with your DePIN Hub email we’ll reward you with bonus Evolution Points! Earn powerfully. 🔌💰

They’re not alone either. Projects like Glow are helping solar farms unlock blockchain-backed carbon credits and growing their networks through on‑chain rewards.

While over at Plural Energy, they’re rewriting the rulebook for clean‑energy investing — tokenizing real-world solar and wind farms so investors can participate in stable, yield-generating projects with full transparency and liquidity.

What connects all these efforts? These DePINs don’t just help you generate power. They help you own your role in the energy system… and Earn! (wink, wink!) for it.

Decentralized energy isn't just solar panels and sensors anymore. It’s tokenomics, peer-to-peer distribution, and transparent verification: a full-stack ecosystem powered by your participation.

It might sound like the perfect solution, because for many, it already is.

And while it may not be the silver bullet, it’s a damn strong signal. 💪

Earn! While You Learn, And Bag Some Sweet Points Too

If the energy system is cracking under pressure, why not earn your way into the fix? 🤔

The Earn! page on DePIN Hub is your starting point. Not just to explore tools, but to use them, collect rewards, and get hands-on with the infrastructure of the future.

Whether it’s a smart plug like Shelly, or a SkyX 100 to feed real-time data to solar and wind, or the Acurast app that turns your old smartphone into a decentralized compute node, everything you find on Earn! has been reviewed and approved by our team.

These aren’t random links or sponsored noise. They’re the actual tools taking people from DePIN zero to DePIN Hero.

Some let you test new DePIN services before anyone else. Others help you deploy real hardware and start earning from your own activity—even while contributing to a more resilient energy future.

And as you go, you rack up DePIN Hub Points. These aren’t just for bragging rights. They unlock real perks: from leaderboard prizes to giveaways of devices that plug directly into high-potential DePIN networks.

So if you’ve been looking for an entry point into all this (one that even rewards you for just showing up and exploring), IT'S THIS.

Explore Earn! and make the grid work for you →

When one of the most power-hungry technologies in history comes online and the grid starts flickering, the question isn’t just “what now?”... it’s “what can we do about it?”

DePIN is not just the fix; DePIN is the opportunity. And early adopters are already turning that opportunity into real rewards, one tool at a time.

You don’t have to predict the future of energy, but you can help build it. And you’ll earn as you go.

Explore Earn! and make the grid work for you →

Turn Doomsday Into Opportunity with DePIN 🌩💰

Turn Doomsday Into Opportunity with DePIN 🌩💰