[bittcto]

This is an example of bitcoin mining seeking the most renewable, inexpensive energy sources... including geothermal in iceland and hydroelectric in Washington State and China.

As solar or wind get closer to viability, it may soon come that bitcoin starts paying for massive solar investment (due to the "greedy" interests of miners buying up lots of solar capacity) and that further lowers costs of solar... and maybe wind, though I'm less confident on wind.

[danmaz74]

On the contrary, bitcoin using up a lot of solar installation would only displace using the same solar panels for other uses.

[nk1tz]

Implying it won't accelerate the development of more/better solar.

[danmaz74]

There is already a huge demand for electrical power in the world, especially clean one. Bitcoin won't add anything specific for solar.

[kfriede]

There is huge demand for electrical power, but there is only huge desire for clean electrical power. I'm sure Bitcoin miners want to use clean power, but if it means they have tighter margins as a result, then non-clean will be what they stick with. (Bitcoin used only as placeholder here).

[bittcto]

You're making the zero sum economic fallacy. More demand for solar panels finances more panels growing, increasing economies of scale reducing panel costs, and also, quite literally growing the total capacity of panels available in the world.

[danmaz74]

Solar panels already have huge economies of scales and lots of research investment; as a matter of fact, their price has been coming down incredibly fast thanks to those. There is no reason why adding bitcoin there will increase that speed.