The special computers and equipment that mining businesses employ use aluminum, copper, iron, silicon and other materials. That means cryptocurrency mining requires real-world mining as well, notes Christina Cogdell. She’s a cultural historian at the University of California, Davis. Her studies focus on how energy, materials and design have changed over time. What is mining crypto Add scrips to your watchlist with a single tap
Some ambitious Bitcoin miners have tried to eliminate their pressure on utilities by buying up their own fossil-fuel plants to power their mining activities. The coal-fired Greenidge power plant in New York's Finger Lakes region, decommissioned in 2010 and revived seven years later as a gas-fired plant, in 2021 became a gas-powered Bitcoin mine; 120 miles west, in North Tonawanda, Canadian cryptominer Digihost intends to inhabit a still-operational gas-fired power plant using the plant's power to mine its coin. What can I do to resolve this? Is it profitable, then? Here is how Money.com summarizes that answer: “The bottom line is that there is no set amount bitcoin miners earn. Mining requires significant investment, and the results are unpredictable.”
Solo Bitcoin mining does mean that you don’t have to share your profits with a huge group of other people. However, it also means that you don’t get to share the profits of the thousands of other miners, either. You only get paid out if you’re the miner who solves the hash. What is a Bitcoin Miner? Bitcoin mining is renowned for its energy intensity. As of March 25th, 2023, Bitcoin miners’ power demand amounts to 15.4 gigawatts (GW). In the Bitcoin network, so-called miners compete in a computational puzzle to add blocks to the chain and validate coin ownership and transactions included in the blocks. To participate in the process, miners use specialized hardware devices which consume electricity.
Many crypto miners would say that the best cryptocurrency to mine is the one that’s the most profitable. That may be true—but anyone who cares about the environmental impact of their crypto investments might consider avoiding proof-of-work tokens altogether. If you’re looking at Bitcoin, or another proof-of-work cryptocurrency, then do some research on the associated energy consumption and ecological footprint. Opting for proof-of-stake or another more energy-efficient consensus mechanism might align better with an environmentally conscious choice. Sister projects A typical price for a well-performing and nicely built GPU mining rig aims to be around the $3000 price range. It is a hefty investment but will pay off much faster than, let’s say, a CPU miner. People looking for ways how to mine cryptocurrency should check them out. At the same time, if you already have a GPU mining device, you can download a miner such as Minergate, and start earning crypto!