Exploring Renewable Energy for BTC Mining

Thinking BTC mining with renewable energy could help decentralize it more. So many wild claims floating around here about PV mining... I’m gonna break it down with some basic calculations.

How do you expect to get power for $0.01 per kWh? If I had that rate, I’d just sell it to miners for a few cents and make a killing.

I’ve crunched the numbers and seriously... it doesn’t work. If it were that easy, everyone would be doing it. Ever see anyone mining with solar or wind and actually profiting? Nope.

Speaking from New Jersey, if you set up a solar grid a while back, you might be in the clear. Like a 22kW system, you could run an S21XP for free. Sure, it’s 30k to set up, but you get rebates back over 7 years. Still, there’s a cost you could’ve earned interest on that 30k.

$250 per kWp for PV with ~1000 kWh/year over 25 years means $0.01/kWh. Renewables can be cheap but they fluctuate a lot. You’ll need batteries for reliability, but that just jacks up the cost per kWh.

With cheap labor in China, it’s tough to compete on price. Mining has turned into a grind for small profits. I’m still mining with a host, making a bit because US tax laws let me write off my gear.

Many have tried and failed in the past. You think you’re gonna succeed where others couldn’t? Go for it. If you do, I’ll be the first to applaud you. But if you fail... well, those words will haunt you.

Thanks for the input! But we did talk about how 1 astkm needs a lot of extra gear. What’s the gas price in the US right now? Maybe a gas generator is a better bet?

Awesome insights on renewables and mining! There’s potential to use waste heat from miners for low-temp desalination. In some tests, we turned miner coolant into drinkable water. Could be cool for setups near the ocean.