Bitcoin mining isn’t just an energy drain — it could actually help prevent blackouts, says Bitdeer’s Jeff LaBerge.
Bitcoin mining is often criticized for its high energy consumption, but Jeff LaBerge, Head of Capital Markets and Strategic Initiatives at Bitdeer, argues that the industry plays a crucial role in stabilizing power grids.
Speaking on Roundtable, LaBerge addressed the misconception that Bitcoin mining is wasteful, noting its ability to act as an “interruptible load” for electricity grids.
“It is a very power-intensive industry. I think we use somewhere around 20 gigawatts,” LaBerge admitted. “But in the greater scheme of things, that’s much lower than many other industries that use significantly more.”
20 gigawatts (GW) of power is enough to supply electricity to approximately 15 million U.S. homes for a year, assuming the average household consumes around 1,200 watts (1.2 kW) per home at any given time. This amount of energy is comparable to powering 20 large nuclear power plants running at full capacity.
According to LaBerge, Bitcoin miners have a unique advantage — they can turn off their operations within minutes when grid demand spikes, unlike most industrial power users.
“What that means is in certain areas like Texas and PJM, which is in Ohio, Pennsylvania, those areas are able to essentially dispatch us almost like a demand-side battery,” he explained.
“We can voluntarily curtail our power during peak times in the grid and actually get that power back to the grid.”
Source : The Street
Comentarios