The global energy market, estimated to be in excess of $10 trillion, has long suffered from the effects of centralization. Now, a profound transformation is on the cards with P2P trading, and tokenization of Real World Assets (RWAs) leading the way to help transform this legacy economy. These technological disruptions are helping with grid efficiency, ensuring equitable access to energy, and the creation of a new decentralized economic order. The global energy market, estimated to be in excess of $10 trillion, has long suffered from the effects of centralization. Now, a profound transformation is on the cards with P2P trading, and tokenization of Real World Assets (RWAs) leading the way to help transform this legacy economy. These technological disruptions are helping with grid efficiency, ensuring equitable access to energy, and the creation of a new decentralized economic order. However, disrupting and dismantling the current system in place is not an easy undertaking. Today, Adewale Opeyemi sat down with the CEO of Watt2Trade, Carlos Aurelio Hernandez. He is a key figure in this brave new era. Carlos Aurelio Hernandez Ade: A very warm welcome to you, Carlos. Can you tell us more about yourself and your professional journey? Carlos: Thank you, Ade. My background combines two worlds: energy and innovation. I come from a family deeply involved in the energy industry in Mexico, operating multiple businesses in electricity commercialization and generation. But I’ve always been passionate about disruption… about transforming rigid systems through technology. That led me to create Watt2Trade, a platform that merges energy markets with blockchain and tokenization. It's more than a business for me, it’s a mission to open access, increase efficiency, and bring real-world value to digital ecosystems. Carlos: Ade: What are the core areas where certain improvements and transformations are needed in the RWA tokenization and decentralized energy space to be able to inspire widespread adoption? Carlos: First, we need to connect the dots between blockchain tech and physical assets, and do so with transparency and simplicity. In energy, that means letting people see and trust what their tokens represent: real energy units, tied to supply and demand. Second, we need interoperability with existing infrastructure, not opposition. And finally, we need user education. Tokenizing RWAs like electricity isn't just tech, but a paradigm shift. Adoption will follow when the user experience becomes frictionless and the value proposition becomes undeniable. Carlos: Ade: The energy system is fundamentally broken, it is widely accepted today, but in what aspects? Carlos: The energy market is centralized, opaque with delayed liquidity, and often exclusive. Many producers are locked out, consumers have no direct access to pricing or source, and the system is inefficient at handling excess or shortage. Worse, entire regions are underserved. We believe energy should be transparent, liquid, decentralized, and borderless, like information became with the internet. Carlos: Ade: When it comes to tokenizing electricity, regular users are likely to be skeptical of the development. Even I am, to a certain extent. Why is it so? Is it technology, legacy thinking, or something else entirely? Carlos: I completely understand that skepticism, Ade. It’s not just technology… it’s decades of conditioning. People are used to centralized utilities and monthly bills, with low transparency, not kilowatts as assets. It’s a shift from passive consumption to active participation in energy markets. But once users experience the transparency, control, and economic potential of tokenized electricity, that skepticism starts to fade. We believe so much in that. Carlos: Ade: The energy sector has endless regulatory bodies and rules governing it, while decentralized companies will look to disrupt it from the grey areas. Is this a problem or an opportunity? Carlos: It’s both. Regulation is necessary because energy is critical infrastructure. But decentralization forces a new conversation. We don’t see ourselves as rebels, we’re bridge builders. We engage with regulators, work within legal frameworks, and show that decentralization doesn’t mean chaos… It actually means efficiency, transparency, and inclusion. The opportunity is to create compliant innovation that rewires the system from within. Carlos: Ade: One valid criticism of the digital or tokenized assets is that they are often called phantom assets with no real-world framework in place. How do RWA token holders become confident that their coin actually means electricity units rather than a worthless digital token? Carlos: That’s where Watt2Trade’s hybrid structure makes the difference. Every kilowatt token is anchored to real data — time-stamped electricity supply, daily consumption profiles, market prices, and grid interactions. Transactions are virtual, but they reference real-world positions.I'm talking about measurable energy, transacted transparently on-chain and validated off-chain. Carlos: Our smart contracts are fully auditable and reflect actual market dynamics. They execute transparently on-chain while being validated off-chain against real electricity data. In other words, you’re not trading “phantom” units — you’re engaging in a market where digital tokens mirror measurable energy economics. Confidence comes from that triple layer: real-world data, blockchain transparency, and verifiable settlement rules. Ade: Electric grids require massive infrastructure and split-second stability. Can decentralized alternatives be scaled at the level necessary without affecting reliability? Carlos: You’re right! grids are delicate, and blockchain doesn’t replace them. But what it does offer is a new layer of intelligence and liquidity. We’re not rebuilding the grid, we’re optimizing how energy is priced, accessed, and traded. Through P2P models, distributed energy can flow more efficiently, and the grid becomes more responsive, not less. So yes! decentralization can scale when it complements, not replaces existing infrastructure. Carlos: Ade: That brings us to Watt2Trade. How exactly will a company like yours solve industry-wide challenges with the help of blockchain technology? Carlos: We solve the liquidity and transparency gaps. With Watt2Trade, energy becomes a digital asset, which means that now it is trackable, tradable, and divisible. Producers can monetize surplus, consumers can buy cleaner energy directly, and traders can interact with a real commodity in real time. Blockchain brings trust and auditability, while our exchange ensures that energy is now capitalized too. Carlos: Ade: Walk us through the tokenization on your exchange. When a user takes the leap and buys your ‘kilowatt’, what does that actually represent? Carlos: It represents a real unit of electricity, pegged one-to-one to a kilowatt and anchored to a verified supply event with a timestamp. But on Watt2Trade, the token is more than proof of energy — it’s also your key to the ecosystem. When you use a Wattoin, you get reduced fees on every transaction linked to it, governance rights to participate in shaping trading offers on the platform, and the ability to earn rewards for putting your Wattoins to work. Carlos: The idea is simple: the Wattoin supports the marketplace in a fun, accessible way for anyone, while still being tied to measurable energy that can be consumed, traded, or monetized. Ade: You have your $Wattoin token and also offer live energy trading services. Why is there a need to establish a secondary platform rather than trading energy directly? Carlos: Because the market needs two layers: one for governance and incentives ($Wattoin), and another for asset-backed trades (the kilowatt tokens). $Wattoin fuels participation, access, and liquidity across the ecosystem. But energy trades require precision… price, timestamp, volume. That’s what the watt-based tokens manage. Together, they form a complete energy economy. Carlos: Ade: Briefly share with us your experience of working as the CEO of Watt2Trade. Carlos: It’s been intense and deeply rewarding. Building Watt2Trade means navigating both tech innovation and real-world regulation. Every day we’re proving that energy doesn’t need to be opaque or exclusive. It can be fair, digital, and decentralized. That’s what keeps me going. We are definitely still in the early stages, but that’s what excites me the most. I love what I do — creating new things, experimenting, pushing boundaries. That spirit of constant innovation, combined with the passion my brothers and I share for energy, is exactly what has driven the success of our group of companies. Carlos: The main obstacles are adoption, regulation, and trust — the same challenges that stocks and crypto faced in their early days. But with every step forward, as we keep building transparent, accessible systems, we get closer to making energy tokens as natural to trade as any other financial asset. Ade: We are still in the early stages of tokenized energy? What obstacles need to be overcome to make energy tokens as accepted as stocks or crypto? Carlos: Education, regulation, and infrastructure. People need to understand the value of energy as an asset. Regulators need to see transparency, not threat. And platforms need to provide utility by democratizing energy trading and making it accessible to everyone. At Watt2Trade, we believe that when energy tokens start powering homes, charging EVs, and offsetting bills… that’s when adoption becomes irreversible. Carlos:

Between Two Computer Monitors: This story includes an interview between the writer and guest/interviewee. 

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Breaking Energy's Centralized Monopoly—Watt2Trade CEO Carlos Hernandez on Tokenizing Real Kilowatts

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