Stronghold Digital Mining (SDM), a cryptocurrency mining corporation located in Pennsylvania (USA), is reportedly using coal waste to power its hundreds of supercomputers for bitcoin mining. As a result, the corporation intends to employ a byproduct of coal which is coal waste rather than endangering the US national energy grid. Coal ash leftover from decades-old power stations is used by the firm.
Coal waste and bitcoin mining
The coal waste is collected by Stronghold Digital Mining from a neighbouring mine in Pennsylvania. The waste is transported to a boiler building, where it is burnt to create the power required for bitcoin mining.
Coal ash might leak into groundwater and harm streams if it is not segregated. It includes heavy metals, which are known to cause cancer. The company’s idea, on the other hand, restricts specified levels of coal ash from reaching Pennsylvanians.
Bitcoin mining is an energy-intensive procedure, and many critics believe it adversely affects the environment and risks national electricity systems. According to some statistics, bitcoin mining alone consumes more energy per year than the whole nation of Finland.
Greg Beard, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, said to the sources, “Because the bitcoin mining network is the world’s biggest decentralised computer network and it consumes a lot of electricity, combining bitcoin mining with a power plant makes a lot of sense.”
Do you think that company’s idea to use coal waste is really helping in fighting environmental threats? Please comment below.
