[HN Gopher] Bitcoin in the bush - the crypto mine in remote Zambia
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       Bitcoin in the bush - the crypto mine in remote Zambia
        
       Author : pseudolus
       Score  : 34 points
       Date   : 2025-03-25 16:40 UTC (6 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.bbc.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.bbc.com)
        
       | Symbiote wrote:
       | > It's estimated that bitcoin mining uses as much energy as a
       | small country like Poland.
       | 
       | That's probably the first time Poland has been described as
       | "small". It's number 39 by population!
        
         | johnisgood wrote:
         | May have been a tongue-in-cheek.
        
       | thinkcontext wrote:
       | Hopefully there's an expiration date on the supply contract. It
       | would be too bad if the mining cramped the town's ability to use
       | electricity as it (hopefully) increases usage.
        
         | i_am_jl wrote:
         | The article makes it sound like there isn't a contracted price,
         | but that low cost of power is a temporary situation that will
         | only last until the hydro plant can connect to the national
         | grid.
        
         | cavisne wrote:
         | Later in the article it says they already plan to leave, as the
         | hydro plant will be connected to the broader grid and make more
         | money selling into the grid.
         | 
         | Doesn't seem like the best donation of $3M to build the plant
         | in the first place, barely connecting anyone and most of the
         | energy going to a for-profit bitcoin miner. $3M is a lot of
         | solar panels + diesel generators.
        
       | Greeningen wrote:
       | WoW after 10 years of producing tons and tons of co2, we have one
       | pseudo positive example!
       | 
       | We know now that they build a water power plant, which disrupts
       | nature and we also know that it took them YEARS to connect them
       | to the local town.
       | 
       | Social benefit? Nearly 0
       | 
       | Greenwashing due to a pseudo positive message people can bring up
       | despite bitcoin still being tremendesly shit. Lets ignore that
       | they probably not recycle the process heat and care very very
       | little about the town next door.
       | 
       | They basically support dirty bitcoin by producing local heat and
       | hurting nature.
       | 
       | And solar energy would have solved their problem faster and
       | cheaper.
       | 
       | But hey, your daily crypto bullshit why not.
        
         | spraveenitpro wrote:
         | Have you taken the time to study Bitcoin and the mining? I
         | recommend keeping your arrogance aside and studying for a
         | change. Even you emit CO2 so why don't you extend high horse
         | thinking towards yourself? Learn something.
        
       | moritzwarhier wrote:
       | I don't want to conquer the world, but it seems obvious to me
       | that this is "market failure" exacerbated through global trade.
       | 
       | Wasting energy should not be an opportunity for revenue, but of
       | course it always is, for differing reasons.
       | 
       | The word "waste" here means that there is a maximization of
       | resource consumption while simultaneously minimizing physical
       | utility to humans (utility as in Utilitarianism).
       | 
       | At least as an weak version of my argument. In reality, it is not
       | resource consumption that is maximized, it is free-loading
       | resource usage of the commons while still maximizing profits.
        
         | desumeku wrote:
         | You say potato, I say po-tat-o. You "market failure and waste",
         | I say "taking advantage of local efficiencies and powering a
         | global financial system". Did you miss the part where they
         | share revenue with the energy company?
         | 
         | > The bitcoin mine now accounts for around 30% of the plant's
         | revenue allowing them to keep the prices down for the local
         | town.
        
           | moritzwarhier wrote:
           | No, I honestly went off on a rant without really digesting
           | the article.
           | 
           | Also because I find myself in need of limiting my exposure to
           | politics and doomscrolling.
           | 
           | I think I don't disagree with you, while being wary of how
           | exactly systems could be challenged and improved.
           | 
           | I found myself really angry in the past about environmental
           | problems and am mostly shutting myself off web discussions
           | about such topics in order to not becoming angry and isolated
           | in futility.
           | 
           | My comment above was another diversion from that stated goal,
           | but I'm thankful for your reply.
        
         | axus wrote:
         | This honestly seemed like one of the few stories of Bitcoin as
         | net positive for a community's energy supply. The hydro-plant
         | is now able to continue investing and link up to the national
         | energy grid, where it will be more profitable to supply "human"
         | demand. The miners will move on to the next disconnected energy
         | source, and everyone was happy.
        
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       (page generated 2025-03-25 23:03 UTC)