Hey, anyone know if there are big mining operations in the U.S., especially Texas, that have worked out real-time or day-ahead pricing deals with their power providers? Also, do any of these farms still use older miners like Antminer S9 or Avalon 1146? I'm curious if those older models can be profitable at all.
Are there any large ASIC mining farms in the U.S. using spot pricing?
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Just got off the phone with an energy supplier. They mentioned that in Texas, if you're pulling at least 50 kW, you can access real-time marginal prices through ERCOT. So that means just 15 Antminer S19s or 50 L3+ units or like 300 RTX 3060s can do it. I'm setting up my mini warehouse soon with an index power contract, and it looks like costs will be around 7.8¢ for full uptime. Sounds promising for running older models like Avalon 821 profitably!
Just realized that going for super old ASICs might be a mistake. They're likely to break down, and the cost for setting them up can be ridiculous. Why pay $280 for an Antminer S9 when setup costs can hit $200 per kW? Plus, newer models can be a hassle to insure, and I risk too much money. I think something like the T17 or S17 would be smarter, with decent efficiency while still letting me benefit from energy price changes. I even coded something to track ERCOT rates for the last month, and the numbers look good.