Staked GCTL (sGCTL) is now available as a protocol deposit asset on the Glow Launchpad. GCTL holders who have staked their tokens to a region can now use that sGCTL to post protocol deposits for any listed solar farm, creating a new avenue for control holders to extend their involvement in Glow beyond directing emissions.
On Glow, solar farms post protocol deposits to participate in competitive redistribution. Farms can post deposits in multiple assets, and each asset operates as its own separate competition with its own performance pool. sGCTL is the newest addition to this set of deposit assets.
Stake, Direct, Deposit, and Earn
GCTL is the control asset that steers Glow's economy. When holders stake GCTL to an Infrastructure Project, they direct a proportional share of the protocol's weekly 175,000 GLW emissions toward solar farms in that region. Holding 1% of total staked GCTL means directing 1,750 GLW per week toward the regions a holder cares about.
That staked capital can now also be used to post protocol deposits for listed farms on the Launchpad. sGCTL depositors fund a farm's entry into Glow and earn a share of the rewards that farm generates over the following 100 weeks, meaning the same capital that directs emissions to a region also captures value from the farms operating there.
sGCTL Delegation Mechanics
Asset-Specific Deposit Recovery
A single farm's protocol deposit can be split across multiple assets. Some shares might be posted in GLW, others in USDG, and now others in sGCTL. Each asset competes in its own independent deposit recovery competition: the GLW portion of a farm's deposit competes for recovery against the GLW portions of other farms in the region, the USDG portion competes against other USDG portions, and the sGCTL portion competes against other sGCTL portions. Forfeitures from underperformers in each pool flow only to overperformers in that same pool.
This means sGCTL delegators are only competing against other sGCTL delegators for deposit recovery, not against the full set of GLW or USDG delegators in the region. Since each pool has a different set of competing deposits, the same farm can be an overperformer in the sGCTL pool while being average or below-average in the GLW pool, or vice versa. A farm's competitiveness in each asset class depends entirely on which other farms had deposits posted in that same asset.
Three Reward Streams
sGCTL delegators earn from three distinct sources over the 100-week deposit recovery period:
- sGCTL deposit recovery: The delegator's deposited sGCTL is earned back
- Surplus sGCTL from forfeitures: If the farm consistently outperforms
- GLW token emissions: On top of deposit recovery, sGCTL delegators
How This Compares to GLW Delegation
Standard GLW delegation involves posting GLW tokens as a protocol deposit and earning GLW back through deposit recovery, surplus from the GLW performance pool, and GLW emissions. sGCTL delegation follows the same structure except the deposit and deposit-recovery assets are sGCTL instead of GLW, while GLW emissions are still earned on top.
Delegators cannot unstake sGCTL that hasn't yet been earned back through deposit recovery. However, farms earn back deposits every week, and delegators can begin the unstaking process on any recovered sGCTL immediately. So while the full deposit stays committed for up to 100 weeks, portions of it continuously unlock as the farm earns them back through competitive performance. Any sGCTL still locked in the deposit continues to direct GLW emissions toward that region's farms.
When a delegator begins unstaking recovered sGCTL, it releases at a rate of 1% per week. For example, if a delegator recovers 100 sGCTL from a weekly bucket and initiates unstaking, they receive 1 sGCTL per week for the following 100 weeks. This gradual release preserves stable emissions for the region, since a sudden withdrawal of staked GCTL would reduce the GLW rewards flowing to farms there.
Listing Schedule
The Launchpad now uses a two-phase listing process for new solar farms:
- Monday (sGCTL only): The farm is listed and protocol deposit shares are
- Tuesday (GLW): Any protocol deposit shares not claimed in sGCTL on Monday
Farms still require full delegation to go live, meaning the combination of sGCTL and GLW delegators must collectively fill the entire protocol deposit before the farm becomes active on Glow.
This two-phase schedule is designed to be compatible with Glow's Guarded Launch. Before a farm's available GLW delegation shares can be listed, the protocol must first determine the portion of its protocol deposit paid for in sGCTL. Running the sGCTL window exclusively on Monday ensures that determination is complete before GLW delegation opens on Tuesday. After the protocol re-launches with the Guard removed, this timing structure can change.
A New Way to Engage with Glow
sGCTL protocol deposits unlock a way to earn GLW yield on GCTL. Holders stake GCTL to a region, post that sGCTL as a protocol deposit for a listed farm, and over the following 100 weeks recover their deposit, earn potential surpluses from the sGCTL performance pool, and receive GLW token emissions.
Visit the Glow Launchpad to browse available farms and deploy your sGCTL.