[danw1979]

Yes.

You can do actual useful stuff with electricity no matter where it came from, like smelting aluminium, training AI models or desalinating water. Wasting it on mining bitcoin is literally the last thing we should be doing with spare energy.

If that spare energy doesn’t have a use yet, negative pricing will find one… but allowing that use to be “computing mathematical puzzles to support a deregulated financial instrument whose chief uses are illicit transactions and speculative investment” is just absurd and we should regulate this away.

[throitallaway]

I'd argue that the jet fuel used to fly private planes around is also wasted energy. Let's tack on idling transport/personal vehicles while we're at it please.