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Most mining is hydro powered.
by ty_a 9y ago
Most mining is hydro powered.
- KirinDave 9y agoPlease cite your sources. Beyond this: https://www.coindesk.com/carbon-footprint-bitcoin/ https://www.coindesk.com/carbon-footprint-bitcoin/ Which is sort of unvalidated and points to one or two actors in the space suggesting that they want to move to non-fossil fuels and one that miiiiight be.
- Obi_Juan_Kenobi 9y agoNot the parent commentor, but this is certainly true to some degree. To what extent is very hard to say, but China has built several large hydroelectric projects in remote areas where electricity is very inexpensive. Many miners have taken advantage of this. http://technode.com/2017/02/27/bitcoin-mining-sichuan-cheap-power/ http://technode.com/2017/02/27/bitcoin-mining-sichuan-cheap-... https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-chinas-tibetan-highlands-the-bizarre-world-of-bitcoin-mining-finds-a-new-home/2016/09/12/7729cbea-657e-11e6-b4d8-33e931b5a26d_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-chinas-... Of course, there is also cheap coal power in China, so the environmental impact may be very significant. Going forward, I anticipate the rise of solar mining in some favorable areas. Possibly geothermal as well. Since Bitcoin mining can be done anywhere with decent internet access, it seems natural that it should gravitate toward renewables over time. Fossil fuels continue to get more expensive, while renewables get cheaper. Of course, building e.g. solar panels isn't without environmental impact, either.
- davidgerard 9y agoActually, Bitmain's building with 75% of mining capacity appears to run on wind and solar. https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/bitmain-reveals-plans-for-major-bitcoin-mining-data-center-in-northwestern-china-1478797051/ https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/bitmain-reveals-plans-f... (was planned then, I believe it's in service now)