Quick Take

• Energyfi is designing green and cost-effective Decentralized Finance by providing a comprehensive set of DeFi features on Energy Web, Avax, Near and Bsc, all while accelerating their adoption.
• Energyfi raised $200,000.00 in a private token sale.
• The Green DeFi platform Energyfi is about to be launched on mainnet with the release of EnergyPad, it's ILO platform.
  The Green DeFi platform Energyfi is about to launched on mainnet

Decentralized finance in brief

Decentralized Finance (commonly referred to as DeFi) is a blockchain-based form of finance that does not rely on central financial intermediaries such as brokerages, exchanges, or banks to offer traditional financial instruments, and instead utilizes smart contracts on blockchains, the most common being Ethereum.

Introducing Energyfi

Newly, Decentralized Finance faces two major problems: high transaction costs and a huge carbon footprint on the environment due to excessive energy consumption (especially on Ethereum).

Energyfi is addressing these issues by designing a comprehensive set of DeFi features on Energy Web Chain, Avalanche, Near and Binance Smart Chain, which will accelerate their adoption at the same time. Indeed, to move towards mass adoption, a blockchain needs more users, and to have more users, it needs more dApps. In order to foster the emergence of decentralised applications (dApps) and to support developers who wish to build on these networks, a fast and reliable all-in-one platform like Energyfi is crucial. Both a cornerstone and a catalyst, Energyfi aims to lead the industry towards: decentralisation, transparency, environmental awareness and cross-chain interoperability. These core values can be seen in the main features of Energyfi.

Energyfi's Features

The Energyfi platform includes a wide range of features, all designed to enable the adoption of green networks and the emergence of environmentally friendly decentralised finance.

This includes:

• Launchpad (permissionless fundraising platform)
• Dex (decentralised exchange platform where you can easily buy and sell your crypto-currencies on the network of your choice)
• Staking/Farming (savings product)
• Lending (lend and borrow crypto-currencies.

Energyfi Token (EFI)

EFI token will have multiple use cases such as governance and platform utility. Holding EFI token will also be necessary in order to use some of the Energyfi services. Also, to promote EFI token holders, a frictionless yield and burn mechanism is included.

This will respectively provide a passive income and fight against inflation.

Energyfi raised $200,000 in a private sale and the public sale will be scheduled

The token private sale round was supported by several investors including INBlock ventures, Blu Ocean capital and whitelisted private investors.

$200,000.00 were raised during the private sale and a public sale will be organised in the near future on EnergyPad, the Energyfi launchpad.

Website: https://www.energyfi.io

Telegram: https://t.me/Energyfi_official

Catalytic converter theft has skyrocketed in recent months as organized groups of thieves continue to illegally cut these devices out of cars, SUVs, and rental trucks at an increasingly alarming rate.

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While this has been an ongoing issue for several years, thefts have increased exponentially throughout the recent pandemic period.

Penske's corporate security team is now spearheading a significant outreach program to law enforcement at the city, state and federal levels and cooperating with various catalytic converter theft task forces in hotspots around the country.

"We're also undertaking an aggressive effort to use a new etching technology and exploring other methods to better track stolen catalytic converters within our expansive fleet of trucks," said Scott Brunner, vice president of Security at Penske Transportation Solutions.

Catalytic Converter Thefts by the Numbers

Catalytic converters are emission control devices used on vehicles including Penske's rental trucks that help reduce air pollution.

Thieves are stealing these devices because they often contain high-value metals such as rhodium, platinum and palladium. Once removed and stolen, these devices are then sold by thieves to metal recycling and scrap yards netting the thieves a hefty payday.

"Catalytic converter theft is an increasing problem for consumers and businesses," Brunner said. "It's not a victimless crime. The theft of these devices can cause customers great inconvenience, disables vehicles for repairs, and drives up costs for consumers."

A recent State Farm report examined catalytic converter theft claims from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, and found thefts grew nearly 293% nationwide, representing more than 18,000 instances.

Compared with the same time period just a year earlier, theft reports from the last half of 2019 to the first half of 2020 numbered just above 4,500.

State Farm reported the total paid to customers during the most recent 12-month period was more than $33.7 million. In the previous 12-month period it was slightly below $9 million.

When it comes to claims, California leads the way with more than 3 out of 10 claims being filed in the state. Texas is second, with roughly 1 out of 10 claims, followed by Minnesota, Washington and Illinois, according to State Farm's examination of data from the first half of 2021.

While the value of metals contained in catalytic converters is a driver of the increase in thefts, the National Insurance Crime Bureau linked the thefts to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We have seen a significant increase during the pandemic. It's an opportunistic crime. As the value of the precious metals contained within the catalytic converters continues to increase, so do the number of thefts of these devices," said David Glawe. NICB president and CEO. "There is a clear connection between times of crisis, limited resources, and disruption of the supply chain that drives investors towards these precious metals."

As of the end of February 2021, 18 states – Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia – are evaluating potential legislative actions to curb the theft problem, according to the NICB.

Protecting Your Fleet

Penske Truck Leasing recommends all fleet operators take note of this trend and to take protective measures including:

• Properly secure vehicles
• Park in well-lit areas
• Use perimeter fencing when vehicles are domiciled overnight
• Invest in parking lot video surveillance
• Train drivers to look for signs related to theft or tampering during their pre-trip and post-trip vehicle inspections
• Inspect the catalytic converter area often
• Report catalytic converter theft to law enforcement immediately

By "Move Ahead" Staff

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Vodra (https://vodra.io/), an ad-free entertainment ecosystem for content creators to grow and directly monetize their audiences, today announced the first iteration of its platform and token. Designed for creators to earn income and build a steady revenue stream, Vodra enables content creators to streamline interactions with their fans in a ‘no-fees' environment. Creatives can receive one-time and recurring donations and allow audiences to crowdfund and vote on upcoming projects, while maintaining one hundred percent of the revenue via the ‘$VDR' (ERC-20 & Polygon/Matic) token, which launched via Trustpad on October 26.

Creators simply set up a profile on Vodra, which can be displayed on and integrated into existing creator platforms where audiences already are, allowing them to solicit direct-from-fan support with no fees, regardless of the size of the contributions. Additionally, creators receive a portion of $VDR tokens based on the size of their audience when they join, adding an additional source of income. Unlike most content monetization models, Vodra's efforts are supported by increasing the value of the $VDR token rather than by taking a percentage of creators' income.

“Blockchain technology has allowed us to build an ecosystem in which all users are fairly rewarded for their participation, so that creators benefit directly from the growth of the platform” explained Zachary Bys, Co-Founder of Vodra. “Unlike other models, our primary users are our foremost stakeholders, which ensures that the platform serves their interests rather than faceless shareholders.”

Additionally, Vodra makes it easy for creators to earn without having to leverage third-party and sometimes manipulative advertising models. Instead, creators have control over their content and are driven by a direct creator to audience relationship rather than creator to advertiser to audience. 

“Creators are constantly under pressure to tailor their content in an effort to appease advertisers and keep their content monetized,” said Conner Romanov, Co-founder of Vodra. “Vodra allows creators to monetize their passions without sacrificing creativity as they would have to while contending with the existing advertising-based model. Our decentralized platform is shifting online entertainment compensation towards a direct creator-to-audience participation model; this brings the interests of both creators and audiences to the forefront.”

Creator profiles are designed to be linked to existing entertainment platforms such as in a video description, creator bio, livestream panel, or pop-up. Alternatively, audiences can browse through popular creators and projects directly on the Vodra Platform. Creators will also have the option to showcase leaderboards with their top fans and designate certain rewards for their primary supporters. These options encourage a direct, fee-free connection between audience members and creators, which is mutually beneficial.

Beyond supporting and interacting with a creator through direct contributions, audience members who support creators can cast votes to determine creator content. The project voting feature enables creators to post two separate projects that can be voted on with VDR. The winning project is then funded by the amount contributed. 

The third donation utility offered on the Vodra Platform is a monthly pledging and reward tier system, allowing audiences to pledge an amount of VDR on a monthly basis to a chosen creator. Creators have the ability to customize their own contribution sizes and reward tiers. These rewards range from exclusive content, NFT's, unique experiences, or anything else a creator decides.

Vodra has a fixed supply of 2 billion VDR, of which a portion of its supply will be distributed to content creators logarithmically at an increasingly diminished rate. Once the supply is gone, those interested in acquiring Vodra Tokens can receive them in the form of donations or purchase them from vodra.io or an exchange once it is listed. VDR can be held and sent from any wallet that supports ERC20 tokens, making Vodra ideal for the numerous and often smaller denomination donations that viewers and creators enjoy. Plus, donations and transactions through the platform require no transaction or gas fees thanks to its Layer 2 solution.

For more information on Vodra, please visit https://vodra.io/home. 

ABOUT VODRA

 Vodra (http://vodra.io) is a decentralized creator compensation platform that provides audience monetization tools for content creators. Based around the ERC-20 $VDR token, Vodra aims to give creators an opportunity to capitalize on the growth of online entertainment as a whole by facilitating contributions directly to artists and creators without any additional fees.  In addition to one-time shows of support, followers and fans can schedule recurring pledges, join tiered VIP access groups, and contribute to pooled crowdfunding and voting campaigns to influence the content their favorite creators produce. 

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At the beginning of the pandemic, energy prices crashed. We did an episode of this show trying to figure out how oil prices fell to negative $40 per barrel.

Times have changed. Oil is up over $100/barrel. But far more acute is what's happening with natural gas, particularly in Europe and Asia. In the US, natural gas prices have doubled in the last year. But in parts of Europe, the price has risen more than 5 times.

The disruptions are clear. We're seeing stories of power shortages in China, fertilizer plants being shut down in the UK, and fears about home heating costs in the Northeast US as winter approaches.

So what the heck is going on? How long might it last? And what does it tell us about the future?

To answer those questions Shayle turns to Leslie Palti-Guzman, the President of Gas Vista and a non-resident fellow at NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs.

Shayle and Leslie cover the many demand-side and supply-side issues. Then they talk about what comes next: What does this crisis reveal about the vulnerability of the energy system? And will countries double down on renewables, gas, or both to shore up their resiliency?

The Interchange is brought to you by Schneider Electric. Are you building a microgrid? With a microgrid you can store electricity and sell it back during peak times. Keep your power on during an outage. Integrate with renewables. Control energy on your own terms. Having built more microgrids in than anyone else, Schneider Electric has the expertise to help.

The Interchange is brought to you by Bloom Energy. Bloom's onsite energy platform provides unparalleled control for those looking to secure clean, reliable 24/7 power that scales to meet critical business needs. It eliminates outage and price risk while accelerating us towards a zero carbon future. Visit Bloom Energy to learn how to take charge today.

The U.S. Department of Energy is crucial for funding, researching, and testing emerging energy tech.

Now, in the Biden era, the agency is orienting itself toward deployment. How difficult is that transition?

Our former co-host Jigar Shah joins Stephen, Katherine, and Ed to discuss his experience running the Energy Department's loan programs office.

In March, Jigar left his position at Generate Capital (and this podcast) to head into government service and run the loan programs office. Jigar has $40 billion in authority to back a wide range of climate technologies -- and he's been working on the first round of investments with those dollars.

In the second half of the show: a surprising twist in the global clean-energy transition. How much trouble will energy price inflation cause around the world?

The Energy Gang is brought to you by Bloom Energy. Bloom's onsite energy platform provides unparalleled control for those looking to secure clean, reliable 24/7 power that scales to meet critical business needs. It eliminates outage and price risk while accelerating us towards a zero carbon future. Visit Bloom Energy to learn how to take charge today.

The Energy Gang is brought to you by Hitachi Energy. What does your energy future look like? Look to Hitachi Energy for the advanced energy technologies needed to deliver real outcomes — unlocking new revenue streams, maximizing renewable integration, and lowering carbon emissions. Learn more.

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