E.G. BellUntil the last few years, the only time I ever heard of a gigawatt was in the 1985 movie Back to the Future starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and a number of other fairly recognizable names. It was about time travel requiring 1.21 gigawatts.
That was apparently a lot back in 1985.
“globally, cryptocurrencies are estimated to consume more energy than entire countries”
“In the U.S., just seven firms have built more than 1.045 gigawatts of capacity for cryptomining purposes, the report states. “This is enough capacity to power all the residences in Houston, Texas.”
In the real world, this and 88 miles per hour will not get us time travel but it is having impact on the present. And future. You may have read stories in the last months about the country’s power grid. It has long been a topic of interest and many are concerned about upgrading and protecting it. There are known vulnerabilities but crypto mining can hit even closer to home and in times other than disasters.
Noise
As far as I know, there are no proposed crypto-mining operations in our area. I am an unapologetic tree-hugger and as far as my forest (anywhere/everywhere I travel in northwestern Pennsylvania), I have a ‘dog in the fight’. It may seem silly to fret about a problem that may not be on the immediate horizon, but it pays to live eyes open. Prepared. Informed.
We are not suffering many of the maladies of the cities. Even larger forest cities are dwarfed by the likes of Pittsburgh and Oakland or Philadelphia. We also do not WANT to suffer them. I believe it pays to know even a little of what the threats associated with crypto-mining can be to our bit of the forest. Our ways of life. Our home. One threat is the solitude of the forest. The blissful quiet of the forest.
“Anthropogenic (originating in human activity – Merriam-Webster online) noise pollution, like the constant humming of a crypto mine, can alter the behaviors and breeding patterns of animals and can even affect pollination of certain plants.”
According to a report by Cherokee, NC residents:
“The natural beauty and tranquility of our area is in jeopardy,” Cyndie Roberson’s petition on Change.org reads. “Your community could be next.” (emphasis added by author)
According to the article, “Crypto Mines Are Making Life a ‘Daily Hell’ for This Tiny North Carolina Town,” they report the impact on eagle populations and deer being hit on the roadways.
It is not like we need any more of that in our area and those affected residents are tying this increase to the noise and other impacts of these ‘mining’ operations.
Lately, cryptocurrencies have been getting a LOT of negative attention as investors in some of them have been getting crushed by losses and fraud. These problems have caused problems for other cryptocurrencies. It is like dominoes in some ways. Even if you are not directly affected, you have probably read or seen stories about FTX and Sam Bankman Fried saturating the news. Some of the links I referenced or quoted are months old. That can be a lifetime in financial things, especially crypto-related financial things. However, if you search on Bitcoin, for instance, to see what investment advice is given, you will find that some believe it is a good place to invest. The point here is that the different crypto vehicles are certainly not going away and, if needs increase, it seems likely that mining operations will also. Is your pension or your employer heavily invested in cryptocurrencies?
Cryptocurrencies are not minted. They are not tangible like a stack of dollars or a roll of coins. They exist online. Digital. Have you ever wondered, given that they do not exist in a physical form, what ‘mining’ involves for cryptocurrencies?
“The process of verifying Bitcoin transactions is called crypto mining: millions of expensive computers attempting to guess a number that corresponds to a new transaction. The first computer that guesses this number gets to add this new piece of information to the list of transactions, and the owner of that computer receives Bitcoin as a reward. The rest of the energy is wasted.”
Lots of energy is consumed. And that kind of computer processing generates lots of heat. Cooling requires energy. And generates noise.
You might find it interesting that China banned crypto-mining in 2021. Someone with a good understanding of the needs and impacts of this process recognized a downside and took steps. It was not the United States though many communities are fighting back. They recognize the long-term impacts.
Cryptocurrencies are a vast topic. I would not attempt to explain them in any depth. I don’t understand them at any depth, and I’m not trying to agitate for or against them in general. My interest is simply in what is often called a NIMBY issue. “Not In My Back Yard”. Some companies involved in crypto mining operations operate in Pennsylvania. This is not always readily apparent or easily discovered. A threat is real in Pennsylvania to some extent.
We live in an incredibly beautiful section of an incredibly beautiful state. There are certainly problems in the world with regard to the environment and noise and electricity. And food. And inflation. And politics. And opportunities. Etc. This particular topic bears a close look. A watchful eye. It may not be on anyone’s drawing board here in our forest. It may never be, but it is a topic that should be of interest to anyone living here. Be aware that opportunities often carry costs. Some can be quite significant. I read articles in forest publications every week praising the beauty and serenity of our forest haven. Love letters to our home. Our retreat. Ideally, our legacy to subsequent generations. It is easier to avoid the ‘daily hell’ reported arriving in some communities with crypto mining operations if we have our eyes open. Sometimes opportunity is not worth the cost.
