The problem CryptoFolia solves

”THE GREATEST THREAT TO OUR PLANET IS THE BELIEF THAT SOMEONE ELSE WILL SAVE IT”
The issue with climate change is not awareness but getting people to act.

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Climate change is a pressing global issue, and individual actions play a crucial role in combating its effects. However, many people lack the motivation and incentives to adopt sustainable practices, such as installing solar panels at home. CryptoFolia offers a practical and engaging solution to this problem by combining blockchain technology, renewable energy, and generative art.

The CryptoFolia project addresses two main issues:

• Limited incentives for solar power adoption:
  Despite the benefits of solar energy, household adoption rates remain low due to high costs, lack of awareness, or insufficient incentives.
• Difficulty maintaining sustainable habits:
  People often struggle to stay engaged and motivated in adopting eco-friendly habits, as the rewards can be intangible and not easily recognizable.

Our proof of concept connects to a (presumed) PV meter attached to a home solar array and measures the electricity produced by the panels. For each kWh generated, we automatically mint tokens that serve as tangible incentives for solar energy usage. Users can also unlock unique generative art pieces as they generate more solar power, turning sustainability into a fun and engaging experience.

The decentralized nature of our project ensures users maintain control over their art and tokens, which can be traded, collected, or showcased as a symbol of their commitment to the environment. aims to boost the adoption of renewable energy and encourage sustainable living, leading to a greener future for all.

Challenges we ran into

Throughout the development process of CryptoFolia, our team faced multiple challenges, which we addressed using creative solutions and resourcefulness to deliver a compelling proof of concept.

Challenges encountered:

• Data Verification: We knew that ensuring the authenticity of submitted data would be crucial for the project's integrity in a real-world scenario. We considered two approaches:
  • Using a tamper-proof PV meter with API and signed data proved too complex for the hackathon duration, but holds potential for real-world implementation.
  • Employing a DID solution like Dataverse required users to stake their reputation. However, integrating solutions like Polygon ID or Dataverse proved too complex due to time constraints and limited documentation.
• Fetching data from the meter: The PV meter's API was accessible only within the local network. As a workaround for our proof of concept, we exported meter data to a Google Sheet and called its API using Gelato Web3 Function. In a real-world scenario, a meter with a public-facing API would eliminate this intermediate step.
• Gelato Integration: We faced issues with Gelato's task integration UI crashing when pasting the contract ABI, resorting to the CLI as an alternative. Deployment challenges were resolved with assistance from the Gelato team.
• Front-end Development: As our team lacked front-end development expertise, we focused on delivering a functional and user-friendly interface, while acknowledging the need for future enhancements.
• Gamification Ideas: Brainstorming innovative ways to gamify the user experience required collaborative thinking and understanding of user motivations for adopting sustainable habits.