Glow V2 Introduces a Novel Control Asset
Glow V2 brings a new token asset to the Glow ecosystem called Glow Control (GCTL). Holders of GCTL steer GLW token incentives and ultimately decide where solar infrastructure gets built. GCTL is staking-based; when holders stake GCTL to Infrastructure Projects, they direct GLW rewards to solar farms in that region and earn a portion of the carbon credits produced by all the solar farms in their staked regions. Each week, the protocol emits 175,000 GLW tokens to fund Infrastructure Projects (regions of solar development), and a holder's share of total staked GCTL determines their ability to direct the entirety of these emissions. For example, holding 1% of staked GCTL means directing 1,750 GLW per week toward chosen regions and projects. For a deeper examination of GCTL mechanics and economic design, see GCTL: Control The Subsidy, Power Your Grid.
How to Use GCTL
GCTL holders stake their tokens and steer Glow's economy in two ways:
1. Stake to Existing Infrastructure Projects There are currently four live Infrastructure Projects on Glow. The largest project, which currently receives the majority of GLW token emissions, is the Clean Grid Project (CGP), a global Infrastructure Project that aims to maximize carbon displacement on fossil-heavy grids worldwide. Regional Infrastructure Projects include Utah, Colorado, and Missouri, which focus solar development in those specific areas. For example, if a holder wanted to support development in Colorado - the most carbon impactful state in the US for additional solar, they would stake their GCTL to the Colorado region. GCTL holders can manage their stakes at impact.glow.org.
2. Kickstart New Solar Development in a New Region of Their Choice Holders can launch campaigns to bring Glow solar to states, countries, or custom regions not yet active on the protocol. Launching a campaign requires minting new GCTL and meeting minimum activation criteria for GCTL minted and staked to the potential new region. If a campaign fails to meet activation criteria, the initial region activators retain their minted GCTL. Campaigns can be created at impact.glow.org/new-campaign.
Staking is immediate when committing GCTL to a region, and unstaking occurs at a rate of 1% per week. For example, if a holder had 100 GCTL staked to the Utah region and decided to unstake, the GCTL would be released at a rate of 1 GCTL per week for 100 weeks. This helps preserve stable expectations for solar farm rewards, as instant regional unstaking events could substantially reduce a farm's weekly GLW rewards.
Earning Carbon Credits While Steering Solar Development
GCTL holders who stake to Infrastructure Projects receive Glow Carbon Credits produced by all solar farms in that region, and carbon credit distribution is directly proportional to each holder's share of staked GCTL. For example, holding 10% of the GCTL staked to a project means receiving 10% of that project's weekly carbon credit production. GCTL holders can accrue their Glow Carbon Credits and retire them by binding them to solar farms in their chosen region. Alternatively, holders can accrue carbon credits and collect cash yield when impact buyers purchase these carbon credit assets through the Glow Impact Market.
Glow V1 GCC and Impact Asset Holders Receive GCTL
People who bought GCC or Impact Power in Glow V1 received a special type of GCTL. This GCTL has a one-time instant unstake privilege that allows immediate unstaking without the standard 100-week release period. Once used, all subsequent unstaking follows the standard 1% per week rate. For Glow V1 Impact Power participants, their Impact Asset subscription converted to GCTL at a 3:1 ratio ($3 GCTL per $1 spent), and this GCTL was automatically staked to the Clean Grid Project (CGP).
Minting and Acquiring GCTL
Anyone can mint new GCTL tokens using USDC, and the price to mint one GCTL token equals the square root of the current GLW token price. For example, if GLW is worth $9, then one GCTL token costs approximately $3 to mint. If GLW is worth $100, the mint price rises to approximately $10.
All funds used to mint GCTL flow into the Glow Endowment, which provides permanent liquidity support for the GLW token. The Endowment manages its funds using a rebalancing strategy: half the value is held as GLW tokens and half as stablecoins. When the GLW price decreases, the Endowment uses its stablecoins to buy GLW tokens, providing bidirectional market movement support. Each GCTL minted ultimately strengthens GLW value and the Glow ecosystem by deepening liquidity and building compounding price stability. For a deeper examination of GCTL minting mechanics and the Glow Endowment, see GCTL: Control The Subsidy, Power Your Grid.
Funding What Matters
Glow no longer imposes coordination around a single global priority and provides the tools to act locally while effecting global change. GCTL holders can direct solar infrastructure development in their home country or state, support projects in regions they care about, and kickstart clean energy infrastructure in geographic regions not yet represented on Glow. This is what makes GCTL powerful. It's not just exposure to Glow's economic activity. It's the ability to steer Capitalism itself toward better outcomes. Clean energy gets deployed not by mandate, but by intention, and incentives flow where people value them most.
