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> > [...] most bitcoin is mined by renewable excess energy >Do you have any pointers to refute the claim? Can you give me a link to some numbers? The largest
by EthanHeilman 9y ago
> > [...] most bitcoin is mined by renewable excess energy
>Do you have any pointers to refute the claim? Can you give me a link to some numbers?
The largest cost of cryptocurrency mining is electricity. Electricity energy is the cheapest so naturally many Bitcoin mining operations are built in places that are over producing energy. The cheapest excess power tends to be hydro power, Bitcoin can be viewed as a small subsidy for new hydro electric projects when demand has not caught up to supply.
>Bitcoin mining operations – essentially massive and powerful datacenters - are located internationally, and usually concentrated where the cost of electricity is cheapest. That’s because the cost of electricity can make up 90-95% of total ongoing mining costs. These datacenter mines can be found in numerous countries, from the Republic of Georgia to Iceland, to Malaysia and Venezuela. The largest share of the miners are located in China, close to the border with Tibet where cheap hydropower is relatively abundant. - https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterdetwiler/2016/07/21/mining-bitcoins-is-a-surprisingly-energy-intensive-endeavor/#13375bda5bbf https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterdetwiler/2016/07/21/mining...
>Haobtc is also operating hydropower mining facilities in Kangding. Eric Mu, Chief Marketing Officer at Haibtc, said it cost a lot to build a hydroelectric plant, but later on it does not have a lot of maintenance costs and can use electricity cheaply. -https://steemit.com/bitcoin/@jycloud9/china-builds-a-hydropower-plant-for-bitcoin-mining-2017622t4636806z https://steemit.com/bitcoin/@jycloud9/china-builds-a-hydropo...
Bitcoin miners move to places with very cheap/near free power. They can park the datacenter right next to the power plant so very little is lost in transmission.