For years, Bitcoin has been receiving complaints about its intensive vitality necessities and use of advanced laptop gear. As such, the BTC mining trade is repeatedly searching for methods to deal with the cryptocurrency’s excessive vitality use with out sacrificing its technology.
President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador could have one sensible consideration for this rising concern: introduce a “rent-a-volcano” program to harness geothermal vitality to energy Bitcoin mining.
Below the proposal, the federal government will permit third events to harness the nation’s geothermal assets. If Bukele’s suggestion is authorized, El Salvador will grow to be a pioneer in utilizing pure vitality to mine the digital asset.
And with 170 volcanoes…
⁰A “hire your volcano to mine Bitcoin” program may really make sense 🤔 https://t.co/BENtEqher1— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) November 24, 2024
‘Hire A Volcano’ For Bitcoin Mining Makes Sense, Says Bukele
Bitcoin mining is a well-liked subject in El Salvador, one of many first international locations to legitimize Bitcoin as a monetary asset. As a pro-crypto chief, President Bukele has all the time been looking out for initiatives and packages that may enhance adoption. And for Bukele, harnessing the nation’s pure vitality assets is an effective way to spice up crypto mining.
In reply to a put up about El Salvador’s pure vitality, Bukele acknowledged that renting a volcano to mine Bitcoin is smart. He added that this type of strategy could push the nation to grow to be the primary to faucet geothermal vitality for Bitcoin manufacturing.
BTC market cap presently at $1.83 trillion. Chart: TradingView.com
Mining Rigs Powered By Geothermal Power
El Salvador is among the leaders in BTC mining, and it has already mined 474 Bitcoins valued at $46 million since 2021. In a put up on November twenty fifth, Bukele launched the idea of a “hire a volcano” BTC mining program impressed by the success of its geothermal mining services.
🇸🇻 NAYIB BUKELE IS CONSIDERING A PROGRAM TO RENT VOLCANOES TO MINE #BITCOIN:
‘with 170 volcanoes… it would really make sense’ 🌋 pic.twitter.com/azSU3o9Dco
— The Bitcoin Convention (@TheBitcoinConf) November 25, 2024
Bukele’s put up responded to a different Twitter/X consumer’s put up on BTC mining utilizing geothermal vitality. The president reacted by saying that with 170 volcanoes, this system to hire out volcanoes is believable.
Ecologists Hit Plan To Set Up Crypto Cities Close to Volcanoes
Nevertheless, not everybody agrees with Bukele’s plan to energy its mining actions with geothermal vitality. For some ecologists, the vitality generated from geothermal vegetation might not be sufficient to energy these BTC mining operations.
Ricardo Navarro, a number one ecologist, argued towards Bukele’s plan in 2021. He mentioned that the president doesn’t perceive the nation’s vitality state of affairs, and throwing mining into the combo will complicate the nation’s vitality issues.
In September 2021, Bukele launched a plan for a volcano-powered mining facility. Nevertheless, ecologies like Navarro criticized the institution of a “Bitcoin Metropolis” close to a volcano, saying that these are impractical. As well as, some critics say that utilizing geothermal continues to be costly and never sustainable.
Featured picture from Washington Publish, chart from TradingView