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Stop using MWh as some metric of environmental consequence. A MWh from a French nuclear plant or a Danish wind farm is not equivalent to a MWh from a Chinese co
by greenwich26 6y ago
Stop using MWh as some metric of environmental consequence. A MWh from a French nuclear plant or a Danish wind farm is not equivalent to a MWh from a Chinese coal power plant.
Also, it's not fair that countries who primarily use wood for fuel (Africa) get to look like they're environmentally great, even though combustion of wood causes a huge amount of pollution and global warming. Average fuelwood consumption in Africa often exceeds 1000 kg/capita annually. That's got to add up to the Chinese mining a bunch of coins, right?
- D13Fd 6y agoEven if you don't believe in climate change, MWh is a useful metric. Electricity is not free. Drastically increasing demand for electricity drives up the prices for everyone, in the short term, as electricity rates go up. Even once more supply is created--not an easy thing--society as a whole still bears the risk that the Bitcoin-driven demand will go away (due, e.g., to a crash in value) leaving us with an oversupply of electricity. Either way, "Bitcoin uses more electricity than x" can be a helpful comparison to more effectively convey just what we are signing up for in adopting Bitcoin widely.