Daylight Raises $75M for Decentralized Solar Grid Expansion

The traditional path to residential solar energy has been blocked by a significant financial hurdle: upfront installation costs that frequently exceed $30,000 for panels and battery systems. This substantial investment has prevented many households and businesses in the United States from transitioning to renewable energy, despite growing environmental awareness and rising utility costs. Daylight’s core innovation lies in its subscription-based service model, which completely eliminates this financial barrier. Customers gain access to solar power without the capital expenditure that has historically impeded widespread adoption.

By removing the need for consumers to purchase equipment outright, Daylight opens solar energy to a much broader market segment. This approach mirrors the subscription economy that has transformed other industries, from software to transportation, but applies it to physical energy infrastructure. The model represents a fundamental shift from ownership to access, potentially accelerating renewable energy deployment across the USD-denominated energy market by making clean power financially accessible to millions who were previously priced out.

Daylight operates as a decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN), a emerging category that applies blockchain principles to real-world infrastructure. Unlike traditional centralized solar providers, Daylight’s distributed grid model creates a network where participants collectively contribute to and benefit from the energy ecosystem. This DePIN approach represents a significant evolution in how renewable energy infrastructure can be built, owned, and operated, moving away from utility-scale centralized models toward community-powered networks.

The project’s testnet, which went live in 2024, serves as the proving ground for this decentralized approach to solar energy. By building a distributed network rather than relying on large, centralized solar farms, Daylight creates a more resilient and adaptable energy grid. This DePIN model aligns with broader trends in decentralized technology while addressing very practical energy needs, positioning Daylight at the intersection of blockchain innovation and tangible clean energy solutions.

Daylight’s revenue generation follows a dual-stream approach that creates sustainable economics for the network. The primary revenue comes from subscription fees paid by customers accessing solar power through the service. Additionally, the network generates income by feeding excess energy back to the traditional power grid, creating a secondary revenue stream that helps stabilize the business model. This combination of subscription revenue and grid compensation provides a diversified income base that supports network expansion and operations.

Participants in the Daylight network are rewarded through ‘sun points’ for their contribution to the decentralized solar grid. These points represent a novel incentive mechanism that acknowledges each participant’s role in building and maintaining the distributed infrastructure. The planned introduction of a token system represents the next evolution of this reward structure, potentially creating a more sophisticated economic model that could increase participant engagement and network growth. This approach transforms energy consumers into active stakeholders in the renewable energy ecosystem.

The $75 million funding round provides substantial capital to scale this model across the United States, enabling Daylight to expand its network coverage and accelerate customer acquisition. This significant investment demonstrates confidence in both the DePIN model and Daylight’s specific approach to solving the solar adoption challenge. As the network grows, the combination of subscription revenue, grid compensation, and participant incentives creates a self-reinforcing economic system that could fundamentally change how solar energy is deployed and consumed.