CLE - Clean Energy Coin: Consumer Currency for the Prosumer Economy

What CLE is

CLE (Clean Energy Coin) is the EDMA protocol's consumer currency for the prosumer energy economy. Each CLE represents exactly 1 MWh of verified renewable energy production. CLE is designed to circulate as a real-world currency rather than as a protocol-internal accounting unit.

The vision: people who generate clean energy with their solar panels, wind turbines, micro-hydro, or other renewable assets should have a currency that represents their contribution to the energy transition. A currency they can trade with other producers, sell on exchanges, or spend on the equipment that enables more clean energy generation. CLE is the token built for that role.

CLE is a part of a larger plan for the prosumer economy. The protocol pieces are designed to fit together: ETT proves the underlying production at 10 kWh granularity, the Energy NFT path issues Certificates of Origin (REC, GO) and Carbon Credits where buyers want those instruments, and CLE provides the consumer-currency layer where producers participate in a circulating market.

How CLE relates to ETT

CLE and ETT are independent tokens. They share exactly one thing: the source production event. When 10 kWh of verified clean energy is produced, one ETT mints. When 1 MWh of verified production has accumulated, one CLE mints. The two tokens are emitted from the same production trigger but routed to entirely different economic purposes.

ETT is non-transferable evidence. It enters the protocol's evidence chain at the 10 kWh granularity and is consumed when used to generate a Certificate of Origin (REC, GO, I-REC) or a Carbon Credit. ETT cannot be traded, transferred, or used as currency. Its purpose is audit-grade proof.

CLE is transferable consumer currency. It enters the producer's wallet at the 1 MWh granularity and circulates freely. It can be sold on exchanges, redeemed for partner-retailer discounts, or transacted peer-to-peer with other prosumers. Its purpose is value transfer.

ETT is not aggregated into CLE, and CLE is not derived from ETT. The 100-ETT aggregation that creates a 1 MWh tradeable unit goes into an Energy NFT (the certificate-conversion path), which is yet another distinct concept. ETT, Energy NFT, and CLE are three different things created from the same underlying production flow.

CLE LIFECYCLE · CONSUMER CURRENCY FOR THE PROSUMER ECONOMYFive stages from a verified 1 MWh production milestone to circulation in the prosumer economy. CLE is independent of ETT: the two tokens are minted from the same underlying production event but routed to entirely different economic purposes. ETT goes into the evidence chain for Certificate of Origin or Carbon Credit generation. CLE goes into the consumer-currency layer.

S01PRODUCE

1 MWh of verified clean energyproduction milestone reached

EvidenceA renewable-energy asset (solar PV, wind, micro-hydro, biomass, etc) has produced 1 MWh of metered, attested clean energy. The production is verified through the same attestation chain that mints ETT (revenue-grade meters, utility credentials, inverter telemetry signed by METER_OP and AUDITOR attestors)

ActorThe asset owner; the attestor quorum that signs the production milestone

OutputVerified production milestone of 1 MWh; the trigger for CLE issuance is met

S02MINT

1 CLE issued1 CLE = 1 MWh of clean energy

EvidenceReference to the verified-production milestone; the CLE contract uses the One-Claim Ledger to ensure the same 1 MWh of production cannot mint a second CLE; ETT minted for the same 1 MWh (100 ETTs at 10 kWh each) continue independently on their own non-transferable evidence chain

ActorCLE_CONTRACT mint; the protocol allocates CLE per the distribution policy (a portion to the producer, a portion retained by the protocol for ecosystem operations; final percentages are part of the design work)

Output1 CLE issued; this is the consumer-currency representation of the verified 1 MWh; transferable, unlike ETT

S03HOLD

CLE in producer wallettransferable consumer currency

EvidenceThe producer holds CLE in their wallet alongside any other tokens. CLE is transferable with no consumed-to-anything restrictions; it is the consumer/prosumer currency layer of the protocol

ActorProducer; can sign transfers, trades, or redemptions at will

OutputCLE balance available for use across the ecosystem

S04USE

Three primary use cases at launchexchange, discount, or P2P

EvidenceExchange trading: CLE is designed for listing on centralized and decentralized exchanges; producers can sell their CLE for fiat or other crypto.
Solar-equipment discount: partnership programmes with solar-panel and renewable-equipment retailers accept CLE as a discount mechanism, creating a closed loop (produce clean energy then buy more capacity with the rewards).
Prosumer-to-prosumer commerce: peer-to-peer transactions between energy generators; the vision is a currency that circulates among households and businesses that generate clean energy

ActorProducer signs the use action (trade, redeem, or transfer); counterparty contracts (exchange listing contracts, partner-retailer redemption contracts, P2P transfer contracts)

OutputCLE moves to a new holder (exchange counterparty, retailer, or peer); the producer receives the consideration (fiat or crypto on exchanges, equipment discount on retailer redemptions, goods or services on P2P)

S05 · FINALCIRCULATE

Prosumer-economy currencythe larger plan

EvidenceCLE continues to circulate between holders in the prosumer economy; the long-term design intent is for CLE to become a currency used by the people who generate clean energy with their solar panels (and other renewable assets) and who trade goods and services among themselves

ActorOpen ecosystem; CLE holders use the currency as a medium of exchange

OutputAn emerging prosumer-currency market where CLE represents real underlying clean energy production and circulates as a medium of exchange

Five stages from the verified 1 MWh production milestone to circulation in the prosumer economy. Notice that the trigger at S01 is the same trigger that drives ETT minting (verified production) but the lifecycle from S02 onwards is completely separate: CLE flows into the consumer currency layer while the 100 ETTs from the same 1 MWh flow into the evidence chain for Certificate of Origin or Carbon Credit generation.

Use cases for CLE

Three primary use cases are designed for CLE at launch, with the ecosystem expected to expand over time:

Exchange trading. CLE is designed for listing on centralized and decentralized exchanges. Producers can sell CLE for fiat (through CEX listings) or for other crypto (on DEX pairs). The price reflects market demand for clean-energy-backed consumer currency: buyers might be ESG-conscious individuals supporting the prosumer economy, ecosystem participants accumulating CLE for use at partner retailers, or traders speculating on the broader prosumer-currency market.

Solar-equipment discounts. Partnership programmes with solar-panel manufacturers, renewable-equipment retailers, and energy-installation contractors accept CLE as a discount mechanism. A producer who has earned CLE from generation can redeem it for a discount on additional solar capacity, batteries, inverters, or related equipment. This creates a closed-loop economy: produce clean energy then buy more capacity with the rewards. The producer reinvests their generation revenue into expanding their generation infrastructure.

Prosumer-to-prosumer commerce. Peer-to-peer transactions between energy generators. A household with excess CLE can pay another prosumer for services (maintenance, installation help, equipment trades) in CLE. As more producers join the ecosystem, CLE becomes more useful as a medium of exchange between people who share an interest in the clean energy transition.

What CLE is not

Three distinctions matter because each is commonly confused:

CLE is not a fee or transactions token. The protocol's gas, governance, and fee token is $EDM. When a developer or buyer pays a protocol fee, they pay it in $EDM (specifically: 2% seller in $EDM at claim, 2% buyer with $EDM-discount option, 50% of fees burned in $EDM until 100 M circulating supply). CLE has no role in the fee structure. CLE represents underlying renewable energy production for use as a consumer currency; $EDM represents protocol access and governance.

CLE is not a stablecoin. The protocol's stablecoin for cash settlement is $EDSD. When a producer claims their proceeds after a Certificate of Origin or Carbon Credit sale, they receive $EDSD to their Earnings Vault. CLE itself fluctuates with market demand for clean-energy-backed currency; $EDSD is fiat-pegged.

CLE is not a carbon credit and not a Certificate of Origin. Carbon credits and Certificates of Origin (REC, GO, I-REC) are minted through separate paths from ETT. The carbon routes (R5 ARR, R6 REDD+/IFM, R7 Blue Carbon, R8 Soils & Biochar, R11 Methane Avoidance, R12 Tech Removals on roadmap) issue carbon tonnes through the CARBON_TONNE contract with their own evidence tokens (GRO for nature-based, PRO for methane). The energy-side compliance and granular routes issue RECs and GOs through the Energy NFT path. CLE doesn't substitute for any of these; CLE is its own thing.

CLE is not derived from ETT and not an aggregation of 100 ETT. The 100-ETT aggregation produces an Energy NFT (1 MWh certificate-conversion unit), not CLE. CLE mints in parallel with the underlying ETT flow, from the same production trigger, but as a completely independent token.

Where it stands

CLE is part of the protocol's design and is integrated with the production-attestation flow that drives ETT minting. The CLE issuance trigger reuses the same verified-production milestone that ETT uses, so once the underlying generation is attested, both tokens can mint deterministically.

What is part of the broader rollout: the exchange listings (centralized and decentralized), the partner-retailer programmes for solar-equipment discounts, and the prosumer marketplace UI for peer-to-peer commerce. These are scoped as part of the larger prosumer-economy plan that EDMA is building.

For the protocol-level architecture that CLE depends on (production attestation, One-Claim Ledger preventing double-issuance, EVM-anchored settlement), see Proof-of-Verification, One-Claim Ledger, and Attestor Registry. For the parallel ETT flow that mints from the same production trigger, see ETT - Energy Tracking Token. For the Certificate of Origin and Carbon Credit paths that ETT feeds, see R1 Compliance Credits, R2 Granular Attributes, and R4 Additionality Tonnes.