[staplers]

  reducing our overall energy demand

As a realist, I think you understand the fault in this logic. If we can incentivize the production of renewable energy via 'crypto credits' during down time it will alleviate the hesitation of upfront investment.

This idea is the genesis of currency in Mesopotamia. Offsetting seasonal harvests via "tokens" that allow farmers to subsist all year. Storage alone won't solve everything.