Large-scale solar-powered cryptocurrency mining project emerges in Montana, USA

The U.S. state of Montana has proposed a plan to use solar energy to build a large-scale cryptocurrency mining facility, which has sparked controversy locally.

Cryptocurrency

The city of Butte, Montana, is considering a $250 million solar farm construction project that would generate 300 megawatts of renewable energy per year. The facility is expected to be about 12 feet tall and have a usable area of ​​about 1,600 square feet.

According to media reports, 300 megawatts of electricity per year would be enough to cover more than 40,000 homes, and if achieved, would make it one of the leading solar power facilities in the United States.

Madison River Equity is developing this plan. The company's parent company is FX Solutions, which also operates a company called Atlas Power, which operates a cryptocurrency mining operation. The new power plant will be used to power Atlas Power's 75-megawatt mining operation that has obtained a state license.

Atlas Power is moving away from Bitcoin (BTC) mining using power-hungry ASIC machines to Ethereum (ETH) mining using GPU processors, according to project spokesperson Matt Vincent.

With the introduction of the latest GPUs, the company's power consumption has been significantly reduced to 25 megawatts. Therefore, he wants to build eight new buildings to operate the machines further within the allowed power limits.

Kevin Washington, who runs Atlas Power, said he plans to set up a programming academy on site to work on a wide range of cutting-edge technologies beyond cryptocurrency.

The energy generated by solar power is used to fully power the facility, and the remaining power is fed into the grid and sold to third parties, including power companies outside the country. As the destination for power sales, various candidates are listed, including power companies that set climate change countermeasures targets and local companies.

Focus on landscape, noise and job creation

However, the project has both advantages and disadvantages locally.

Because the planned development is on a ranch site, some local residents have concerns about the landscape as large swaths of land are replaced with solar panels.

And, although not necessarily the other way around, some said they wanted clarification on how long-term employment could be generated from mining facilities and how that employment could benefit local people.

According to Vincent, the two-year construction period will create about 200 jobs, and about 10 employees will be involved in the operation and maintenance of the photovoltaic project. After the construction is completed, the employment quota may be reduced.

Meanwhile, Washington said hiring local contractors is a priority for the construction project, and the coding academy is expected to do the same.

John McDermott, who plans to lease the land to the mining facility, said he appreciates renewable energy and intends to continue to run a ranch next to the facility without having to worry about the view.

"I think it's better than converting to residential use. It's less impactful. Clean energy is the future, and this direction makes sense," McDermott said. The alignment of the two-story buildings suggests the views will be blocked.

Chad Snyder, who works in local IT (not affiliated with Atlas), told the Montana Standard:

I'm interested in clean, renewable energy and support any energy source that emits less CO2. I'm only worried about the scenery. However, everything has a trade-off. Unfortunately, you can't get a lot of clean, good energy without making some sacrifices.

The cryptocurrency industry is just beginning to see attempts to reduce carbon emissions as the need to switch to renewable energy sources arises. However, solving the problem of living environment in the case of large-scale development like this one does not seem easy.