Solar-powered bitcoin mining sets up in industrial Australian city of Whyallawww.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-16/solar-powered-bitcoin-mining-hub-in-whyalla-south-australia/101448784
323 sats \ 2 comments \ @nullama 29 Sep 2022 bitcoin
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10 sats \ 1 reply \ @BTCMiner 29 Sep 2022
This article contains almost no useful information, except for this:
While the site was primarily solar powered, Mr Kondylas said it could ramp up production to draw more power from the grid on the days when electricity generation was high.
PV solar in Australia provides electricity for about 10 or so hours per day during their summer and about 6 or so hours per day during their winter. So during late evening until morning they run on grid power or something like that? Do they have any energy storage (e.g., battery)? I doubt it.
And if they have hashrate capacity to bring more miners online when the grid has oversupply, that means that hashrate is otherwise sitting idle? That equipment and facility are pretty expensive to let them idle and only run a fraction of the time.
There's way more to the story left out than was written.
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25 sats \ 0 replies \ @nullama OP 29 Sep 2022
Not sure if they have batteries in that site, but this reminded me of:
Tesla built and installed the world’s largest lithium-ion battery in Hornsdale, South Australia, using Tesla Powerpack batteries. Since then, the facility saved nearly $40 million in its first year alone and helped to stabilize and balance the region’s unreliable grid.
And in 2020 it grew by 50%
Tesla battery in South Australia expanded by 50 per cent, energy minister lauds benefits
So it could potentially be used in mining as well.
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