Crypto enthusiasts, if you're looking for the next big convergence of tech and real-world impact, mark your calendars for October 17, 2025. Meltem Demirors, the powerhouse behind Crucible Capital and a familiar face in the digital asset space, just dropped a strong endorsement for DERVOS 2025 on X. She's rallying the community to this NYC event focused on fixing America's ailing power grid through distributed energy resources (DERs). But why should blockchain practitioners care? Let's break it down.
In her post, Demirors highlights that the Crucible team will be attending DERVOS, calling it a must for anyone passionate about the future of distributed energy infrastructure. She's quoting Duncan Campbell from Scale Microgrids, who paints a stark picture: electricity is the bottleneck holding back progress in AI, tech, and beyond, with the US system on the brink of failure. The event promises to dive into solutions, complete with a promo video featuring heavy hitters like Jamie Dimon skeptical on solar, Donald Trump at a Bitcoin conference, and even Arnold Schwarzenegger emphasizing the power of small-scale innovations.
For those new to the term, DERs are things like rooftop solar panels, home batteries, electric vehicles, and microgrids that generate or store energy closer to where it's used, rather than relying on massive centralized power plants. It's a decentralized approach—sound familiar? That's right, it mirrors the ethos of blockchain itself, where power (pun intended) is distributed rather than hoarded by big institutions.
Crucible Capital, Demirors' new venture fund, is all about investing at the nexus of energy and compute. With a $50 million fund anchored by Laser Digital, they're eyeing deals that blend digital assets with energy solutions. Think Bitcoin mining operations optimizing for renewable energy, or AI data centers powered by local microgrids to avoid grid strain. As AI hype fuels meme tokens like those tied to AI projects, the energy demands of training massive models could spark a new wave of energy-themed memes. Imagine tokens representing fractional ownership in solar farms or gamifying energy conservation—DERVOS could be the spark for such innovations.
The event itself, hosted by the DER Task Force on Governors Island, is shaping up to be a high-energy (again, pun) gathering. Expect ThunDERdomes—intense debate panels on topics like whether DERs are too small to matter or if software will define the future grid. There'll be showcases of cutting-edge tech, a community-sourced keynote, a fireside chat with Jigar Shah from the DOE's Loan Programs Office, and a demo day for early-stage DER startups. Tickets are $800, with limited spots, so if you're in NYC or can make the trip, it's a chance to network with doers in energy and potentially spot blockchain crossovers.
One reply to Demirors' post captured the reframe perfectly: the "electron economy" turns the grid from a liability into a platform. Accompanying it was this intriguing image, perhaps symbolizing exploration in new energy frontiers.
As blockchain evolves, integrating with real-world infrastructure like energy grids could unlock massive value. Events like DERVOS aren't just about kilowatts—they're about empowering decentralized systems that align perfectly with crypto's core principles. If you're building in web3, keeping an eye on energy trends might just give you the edge in the next bull run. For more details, check out the official DERVOS page on Luma or the DER Task Force site. Who knows, maybe we'll see some meme-worthy moments emerge from the discussions.