3 ms·

Fact check: Bitcoin consumes a small fraction of 1% of global power

6 points by steelstraw 5y ago

not_kurt_godel 5y ago
Interesting definition of "small fraction" of 1% given it's 0.55% (https://hbr.org/2021/05/how-much-energy-does-bitcoin-actually-consume https://hbr.org/2021/05/how-much-energy-does-bitcoin-actuall...).
- Arnt 5y ago
  Does a reliable estimate exist of how much grid power bitcoin consumes? Background: I've read about bitcoin miners who move their GPUs to locations where they can buy power very cheaply because the regular grid can't accept it. I'm wondering whether that's a rare exception or a significant part of what the big miners do.
  - schiffern 5y ago
    With apologies, hijacking one of your recent posts to PM after the comment expired. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29768126 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29768126 The change in daily "breathing pattern" can have a big impact on metabolism. Inhaling in early morning will cool the soil, vs inhaling in early evening will warm it. Ditto for humidity, which has a slightly different pattern. The soil organisms must adapt to the full range of these monthly variations. If you look closely at Figure 2 I posted here[1], you'll see that the daily "breathing pattern" changes cyclically, roughly following the coastal tide cycle. Over with day there are two "small breaths" (Sun tide) and two "big breaths" (Moon tide), two sine waves, with the phase angle of the "big" wave drifting by 720 degrees per lunar month. If you look at Figure 3, you can see the beat frequency of these two waves. Essentially, the "breathing pattern" changes from shallow-and-quick to deep-and-slow twice per month, changing oxygen/CO2/humidity exchange rates. Simultaneously, the "big breath" is getting 24 minutes later every day, moving through the full range of diurnal patterns. As you can see, it rapidly gets complicated! The soil organisms must adapt to the full range of these monthly variations. Fortunately, biological systems are lazy and adaptive, and the ...pattern isn't stochastic but entirely predictable! So, just like the trees predicatively store food and shed leaves before winter, soil organisms will probably do much the same. What about turning the compost? Essentially, you're introducing a big artificial catastrophe into the soil. It makes sense that you probably want to "time it right" within the monthly tidal cycle. This isn't terribly surprising, since we know that transplanting plants (another artificial catastrophe) achieves best results when performed at certain times of year (late fall / early spring) and certain times of day (early morning / late evening). However we don't usually consider the physical and biological effects of the lunar cycle (on land, anyway), not least of which because most people aren't even aware of them! I should have elaborated in my original post, but just wanted to share; soil science is a surprisingly "deep" field! (no pun intended) [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29766347 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29766347, direct link: https://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/105/06/0842.pdf https://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/105/06/0842.pdf

6 points by steelstraw 5y ago

Interesting definition of "small fraction" of 1% given it's 0.55% (https://hbr.org/2021/05/how-much-energy-does-bitcoin-actually-consume https://hbr.org/2021/05/how-much-energy-does-bitcoin-actuall...).

Arnt 5y ago
Does a reliable estimate exist of how much grid power bitcoin consumes? Background: I've read about bitcoin miners who move their GPUs to locations where they can buy power very cheaply because the regular grid can't accept it. I'm wondering whether that's a rare exception or a significant part of what the big miners do.
- schiffern 5y ago
  With apologies, hijacking one of your recent posts to PM after the comment expired. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29768126 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29768126 The change in daily "breathing pattern" can have a big impact on metabolism. Inhaling in early morning will cool the soil, vs inhaling in early evening will warm it. Ditto for humidity, which has a slightly different pattern. The soil organisms must adapt to the full range of these monthly variations. If you look closely at Figure 2 I posted here[1], you'll see that the daily "breathing pattern" changes cyclically, roughly following the coastal tide cycle. Over with day there are two "small breaths" (Sun tide) and two "big breaths" (Moon tide), two sine waves, with the phase angle of the "big" wave drifting by 720 degrees per lunar month. If you look at Figure 3, you can see the beat frequency of these two waves. Essentially, the "breathing pattern" changes from shallow-and-quick to deep-and-slow twice per month, changing oxygen/CO2/humidity exchange rates. Simultaneously, the "big breath" is getting 24 minutes later every day, moving through the full range of diurnal patterns. As you can see, it rapidly gets complicated! The soil organisms must adapt to the full range of these monthly variations. Fortunately, biological systems are lazy and adaptive, and the ...pattern isn't stochastic but entirely predictable! So, just like the trees predicatively store food and shed leaves before winter, soil organisms will probably do much the same. What about turning the compost? Essentially, you're introducing a big artificial catastrophe into the soil. It makes sense that you probably want to "time it right" within the monthly tidal cycle. This isn't terribly surprising, since we know that transplanting plants (another artificial catastrophe) achieves best results when performed at certain times of year (late fall / early spring) and certain times of day (early morning / late evening). However we don't usually consider the physical and biological effects of the lunar cycle (on land, anyway), not least of which because most people aren't even aware of them! I should have elaborated in my original post, but just wanted to share; soil science is a surprisingly "deep" field! (no pun intended) [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29766347 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29766347, direct link: https://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/105/06/0842.pdf https://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/105/06/0842.pdf