FAQ

Pylon Network’s vision is to digitalize the energy sector to make it simple and transparent for  everyone. The team’s mission is to enable any energy player to offer personalized digital  services with minimal interactions for consumers and energy businesses alike.  

We have developed our blockchain technology to design a decentralized database for  energy data (Neutral Energy Data Hub) to facilitate and accelerate digitalization of the  energy sector and the energy transition. 

We are following a bottom-up approach, working with the protagonists of the future energy  systems: the final consumers. This – and the fact that we test and implement our scalable  solutions and business models inside the real energy market – is what differentiates us from other projects in the energy sector.  You can read our manifesto here.
  • The energy sector is a unique sector from many perspectives and its digitalization  requires tailored solutions to the needs of the sector. 
  • We developed our own blockchain according to the specifications of the energy sector, and our vision.
  • To maximise our impact, we had to design for more than storing data in a decentralized way. We designed a code with the ability and flexibility to facilitate the utilization of these data for the benefit of the consumers, offering them added-value digital services, while maintaining their control over their data and ensuring their privacy.
Pylon Network blockchain has been compiled and tested by developers with experience in  the crypto and blockchain space.  The code has been tested during our pilot project with GoiEner, which included 10k  consumers. Since the conclusion of the pilot, Pylon blockchain has been running  successfully on testnet. 

You can access the testnet blockchain explorer here.

At the moment, the two validated use cases of Pylon Network are being tested. You can read more about Pylon’s use cases, here.

The demo for the first use case has been recently released and can be accessed here. You can read more about it here.  
Yes, it is and will remain open-source. Our Github repository can be accessed here. 
The launch of Mainnet will be defined by our the timing of the market and our efforts. 

We have already begun the onboarding process of energy communities in the ecosystem of Pylon Community (see “What is Pylon Community”? below).  With the inclusion of some strategic stakeholders in the ecosystem we are demonstrating our strategy and value proposition in the testnet.

The MainNet will come after the validation of the use cases and will be timed according to the market signals, aimed at maximizing the impact of its launch. 

The steps that will be taken, leading to the launch of Pylon Mainnet will be the following: 
  • Release information, smart contract, manuals and promo material for the setup of the first Federated Nodes and the PYLNC distribution processes. 
  • Release technical performance test reports for Pylon blockchain. 
  • Launch Mainnet and migrate all demos to commercial operation  of the Neutral Data Hub (NDH). 
  • Continue onboarding energy communities – increase the transactions taking place in the NDH.

Pylon Network has incorporated PylonData, which is building a range of Digital Energy Services (DES) and is developing the use case operations in the energy sector.

These DES are working on top of (integrated with) the NDH of Pylon Network.  By solving the critical bottleneck of energy data accessibility, PylonData is offering added value services that are designed to help final consumers make their own (energy) decisions  in a simple, engaging and transparent way.
Pylon Community is the ecosystem for renewable energy communities: a space where you can activate, join or promote a project for the production of renewable energy in a distributed and collective way.

The ecosystem of Pylon Community will continuously evolve and expand, with the addition of strategic stakeholders and services related to energy communities. Find out more here.
  • Blockchain designed for the energy sector – high speeds and scalability combined  with negligible energy demand.
  • Energy data accessibility and privacy – the catalysts for the participation of final consumers as an asset for the energy (retail) market with minimal, simple interactions.
  • No added hardware (meters) needed – able to access all energy consumption data and developing the same capabilities for France and Portugal. At the same  time, we can integrate and access the production data, from any RE installation  and/or batteries. 
  • Validated the replicability of the model in other EU countries – Portugal &  France. 
  • Avoid dependency on 3rd parties and other blockchains.
  • GDPR-compliant – Final consumers are in control of their data. 
  • Fully open-source and open-standards infrastructure, able to accommodate data  from all kinds of sources and stakeholders. 
In few words, our market approach, our vision and our philosophy:
  • Bottom-up market approach: We are focusing on the blue ocean of digital services that  address the needs of the final consumer.
  • We are developing our services with the final consumers and we are innovating to empower them and have an impact at the local level.
  • We are validating our business models with the market: how it is currently shaped  while knowing how it will evolve in the future. According to that, we apply business models that are always validated by the market and are applicable today. 
  • First movers in Spain – energy data accessibility and collective self-consumption.
  • You can read more about the validated use cases of Pylon Network, here.
  • The Federated Nodes are responsible for synchronizing and storing all the information  on the blockchain – block headers and energy data of the users. At the same time,  they are responsible for maintaining the platform, certifying and validating all  operations/transactions and for the creation of new blocks. 
  • These nodes will be Pylon Token holders that have staked the required amount (5ooo PYLNT).  
  • Any stakeholder that wishes to explore, validate or offer services on our blockchain platform (NDH), (Software / Hardware companies, Retailers, Energy  Cooperatives, ESCOs, Distributors etc.) is incentivized to be a node, since the  Federated Nodes (FN) of Pylon Network receive 80% of the mining reward (in PYLNC).
Anyone can be a federated node by staking the necessary amount of PYLNT (set to 5000 PYLNT).   Note that Whitelisted nodes receive a 30% discount on the staking amount (i.e. 3500 PYLNT). For more information, see question 14.
The hardware requirements of the Federated Nodes will be as minimal as possible. Our aim  is to make the process as simple and straightforward as possible, so different options will be  available for the interested parties, independent of their experience in the crypto space. 

More information can be found here.  Regarding the software requirements, only the open-source core of Pyloncoin will be required. 
The distribution of PYLNC will always be the same: 80% for federated nodes and 20% for PYLNT holders. 
Yes! We have released a Whitelist for expressing your interest in becoming a Federated Node. You can register here.

Note that Whitelisted Nodes receive a 30% discount in the staking amount (i.e. 3500 PYLNT).
The double-coin configuration came after studying the legal and financial implications of the implementation of crypto-currencies, and we tried to align it in a way that  serves the vision of the project.
The PYLNT receives the value of being a stakeholder of Pylon Network. In other words, the  value of owning a federated node and supporting the network, or receiving PYLNC (the utility coin of Pylon Network) as a staking reward. 
PYLNC will act as a “gas” (dynamic fee) for the transactions between the Neutral Data Hub (NDH) of Pylon Network and the services that operate on top of it.  In other words: a decentralized SaaS (NDH), using a decentralized asset (coin) to track utility and attribute value. In this sense, the PYLNC receives the value of the energy data itself that is stored in the  NDH of Pylon Network.
PYLNT is currently listed in the following exchanges & markets:  – IDEX (PYLNT/ETH)  – Bit-Z (PYLNT/BTC)  – STEX (PYLNT/BTC; PYLNT/ETH; PYLNT/USDT)
PYLNC is not launched yet, so it is not available in any exchanges at the moment.  However, with the launch of MainNet, PYLNC will be listed in selected exchanges, which will  be increasing as the ecosystem of Pylon Network grows & expands.
An indicative timeline is provided below. Regarding launch of Mainnet in particular, refer to question 5.
By continuing working towards our vision. To be able to attract more companies to interact  with the energy data of Pylon Network, we need to be able to help them to empower their  consumers; this is the first milestone that we are focused on.  In other words: 
  • Expansion of pilots and ecosystem (Pylon Community). 
  • Demonstration of the Neutral Data Hub and services. 
  • Validation with the market and the final consumers. 
  • Leveraging our current network of partners and happy customers from PylonData.
Due to the regulation harmonization across the EU, the EU markets offer a leaner scaling  potential that non-EU energy markets.  However, we always allocate time to research and analyze opportunities outside.  So, the short answer is that the EU market is the one we are focusing on, in the short term, and that we have already validated.
Pylon works already with some very innovative players, who are the example to follow in  their niche operational space.  For example, the municipalities of Rubi and El Prat, who are using our PylonData service to offer help to their citizens via their energy advice office, are recognized as two of the most successful sustainable municipalities in Catalonia and Spain, with a long history of  successful projects and green management of their administration.  You can find more information in our White Paper on “Efficient Municipalitiies” (June 2020) here [in Spanish]. A full list of our partners and happy customers can be found on the PylonData website, here.  
Our marketing efforts over the remaining months of the year are completely aligned between  the business and crypto operations of Pylon Network, manifested by the commercial  implementation of Pylon Network’s blockchain tech – as a Neutral Data Hub (NDH) – in the  use case of Collective Self-Consumption (CSC). You can read more about Pylon Network’s use cases, here. You can also check out our blog post, presenting the achieved and future milestones for this year.
Our only focus in the short term is the launch of Pylon’s MainNet, and gaining market  traction via the expansion of Pylon Community’s ecosystem and the demonstration of our tools, services and use cases.  We believe that this will bring us to the exposure level and will give us a stronger position. At  this timing, it would be the point that a tier-1 exchange would make sense.