It’s been 21 years since the 21st century. You don’t still think that virtual currency mines can only be used for mining, right?

Recently, the Development and Reform Commission of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region issued the "Several Guarantee Measures to Ensure the Completion of the 14th Five-Year Plan Energy Consumption Dual Control Targets (Draft for Comments)", which plans to comprehensively clean up and shut down virtual currency mining projects and require all of them to withdraw by the end of April. At the same time, it is strictly prohibited to build new virtual currency mining projects.

Although the closure of mining projects in Inner Mongolia will not affect CoinIn’s business and April is the month when most mines are transferred to water-rich areas, it is undeniable that this policy will become a signal to guide the direction of other policies related to virtual currencies in the future.

At this stage, if virtual currency mining using the proof-of-work mechanism can only bring virtual currency income, most people believe that its consumption of electricity and huge carbon emissions have a "worrying" impact on energy and the environment (relevant research by the University of Cambridge estimates that the global Bitcoin network consumed more energy in 2019 than Ukraine alone) .

But no one would ever suggest shutting down systems like turning on the heating in winter , building greenhouses to grow vegetables and fruits , or heating chicken farms to increase production because they harm the ecology, right?

After all, the people and their chickens are innocent. What could be wrong with strawberries and tomatoes?

To give ourselves peace of mind , we went across the ocean to find some inspiration .

Nestled between Bitcoin mines in central Canada is a strawberry farm called Le Caveau à Légumes, which is using the heat from mining to repel frost, making it a rare sight in the region.

"We need heat, it's freezing right now," said Melissa Girard. "No one is going to pay for heating here for strawberries."

From an economic perspective, Bitcoin mining is rarely done by individuals at present, and is mostly organized in the form of mining farms.

However, the byproduct of mining - heat energy, in the eyes of knowledgeable people, as long as you have a little basic knowledge, some PVC pipes and some duct tape, you can reduce some electricity bills through mining and generate profits.

As early as 2018, Le Caveau à Légume strawberry farm used Bitcoin mining to provide heat for its greenhouses to balance its electricity bills.

This is exactly what the innovation enthusiast, mining machine manufacturer Heatmine, was planning as part of an experiment, although it never really got started.

Jonathan Forte, founder of Heatmine, sees it as an ethical solution to mitigate the worrying environmental harms of cryptocurrency.

Whether you are a family-oriented or career-oriented person, when you start your mining machine, remember to earn some extra money and recycle some heat energy, and your goal will be achieved.

Although it is said that the project failed to launch because his partners never fulfilled their promise, the idea will still stubbornly exist in Forte's mind waiting to be implemented even without a dedicated heat-generating mining machine.

Since 2013, the company has been reducing carbon emissions by recycling heat generated by Bitcoin mining back into its offices.

Besides, “it keeps my trolley car from getting cold on winter nights,” Carthy said.

Canada's cheap energy and cold weather make it an ideal location for "mining for heat."

Towards the end of the conversation, Carthy recalled that in 2018, the cost of operating a Bitcoin mining machine was $70 per month, and the virtual currency income was $100.

"The weather is so cold, and water and electricity are not expensive. Even if you mine just to generate heat, you won't lose money."

These neatly arranged revenue figures are also verified by some people who own small-scale mining machines.

"It's been my lifelong dream to heat my house with heat from servers, this is so cool," said the experiment, which began just after he designed the environmentally friendly house, which was initially powered by solar energy.

Haschek used four mining rigs running at 176 degrees Fahrenheit (about 80 degrees Celsius) to warm up his central ventilation system.

"This is actually just a channel, very low-tech."

Even so, the income from mining ETH subsidized half of his electricity bill in January, which also meant that the need to use electricity for heat pumps was reduced by half.

“Mining itself is not particularly efficient, so I ‘produce and sell’ my own heat, almost forming a closed loop.”

Haschek expects that as long as the price of ETH is above $900, operating these mining machines will be profitable.

Although it is very tempting to make money without doing anything, this only works during the colder months.

“In the summer, my tomatoes ripen on the vine in this heat.”

Someone said.

At the beginning of the epidemic, he began transmitting mining heat into his tomato greenhouse.

But Smith’s mining journey began a few years ago, when he wanted to study whether mining machines could heat his house.

The experiment was successful, but he also realized that due to the unstable returns of mining itself, this might be more suitable for pure enthusiasts.

Now, in his new house, Smith's chickens rely on radiant heat to keep them happy at night.

(Picture from the Internet)

"It's relatively easy to place a miner in a ventilated chicken coop to generate heat, where the air circulates and there are ventilation outlets." Chickens lay more eggs when the temperature in the chicken coop is around 70 degrees Fahrenheit (about 21 degrees Celsius) .

Now he is considering how to have the mining machines automatically turn on and off to regulate the temperature in a house, garden or chicken coop.

Not counting the income from his chicken and vegetable businesses, Smith has made about $1,600 in cryptocurrency.

While this is at most a self-sustaining hobby, like Haschek, Smith also believes that this can help people reduce their climate guilt while participating in the virtual currency network.

Of course, these efforts seem very insignificant now, especially compared to the existing scale of mining, but this is just the beginning.

With coin prices growing parabolically and network consumption reaching its peak, this type of innovation is at an unprecedented opportune time.

While the Texas-based Layer1 project is taking advantage of excess renewable energy in the West and massive hydroelectric mines across the United States, Canada and China have done little to expand their Bitcoin ambitions.

“As an individual, I’m trying to scale as much as I can, but it’s still too limited. But as more people join, it will make a difference and we’ll see the impact in terms of reducing the amount of electricity wasted and the amount of energy used.”

Especially when you see someone like Melissa, who is just getting started, and only runs the machine when she’s tending to her crops, you can further imagine the future of virtual currency.

"It's great to be able to heat the house by mining." At least that's what she thinks.

We love the environment, of course, but we can't give up on having a future with virtual currency.

Perhaps people who don’t understand virtual currency are now particularly suspicious and disgusted with it because of environmental issues, while people within the circle only care about the rise and fall of currency prices.

But the world is never black and white, nor is it necessary to choose between letting walls hold you back or tearing them down.

The development of virtual currency technology should be like ivy, taking root in fertile soil. To surpass high walls, it must crawl on them and grow.

So, do you like chicken, strawberries, or tomatoes?

How about a heated swimming pool?

Are you interested in drying and dehydration plant owners?

Part of the article is translated from coindesk's "Mining Bitcoin for Heat, Strawberries and Chickens". If there is any infringement, please contact this account to delete it.