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Related thread ;

Bitcoin now uses more electricity than Argentina [0]

751 points - 1292 comments and trending

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26088455

[0] https://cbeci.org/cbeci/comparisons

This (here) article is also very interesting.

> And the results are revealing: Sichuan, second only in the hashpower rankings to Xinjiang, is a province characterized by a massive overbuild of hydroelectric power in the last decade. Sichuan’s installed hydro capacity is double what its power grid can support, leading to lots of “curtailment” (or waste). Dams can only store so much potential energy in the form of water before they must let it out. It’s an open secret that this otherwise-wasted energy has been put to use mining Bitcoin. If your local energy cost is effectively zero but you cannot sell your energy anywhere, the existence of a global buyer for energy is a godsend.