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Bitcoin's Growing Energy Problem - All Revealed

Bitcoin's growing Energy Problem
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Are you aware of Bitcoin's growing energy problem?

The process of mining Bitcoin has resulted in a growing energy problem. This has turned it into a topic of heavy debate over the past few years.

Bitcoin mining is becoming more and more controversial because of its highly energy-hungry process by design. The cryptocurrency requires enormous hash calculations to process financial transactions without intermediaries. The primary impetus for each of these calculations is electricity. This article will discuss Bitcoin server mining, its growing energy problem, and why it has become a point of concern for the globe.

What is Bitcoin Server Mining?

Bitcoin server mining is creating new Bitcoins by solving complicated math problems. It consists of computing systems with specialised chips competing to solve mathematical puzzles. The mining process verifies transactions on the cryptocurrency's network and makes them reliable. When you successfully mine a Bitcoin, you will receive a predetermined number of Bitcoins.

How Much Energy is Consumed?

Bitcoin's estimated energy consumption shot up from an annual rate of 6.6 terawatt-hours in 2017 to 138 terawatt-hours in early 2022. That's more energy than the annual consumption of countries like Sweden, Norway, and Malaysia.

Why Does Mining for Bitcoin Use So Much Energy?

Bitcoin mining consumes a lot of energy to help computers solve complex mathematical problems to verify transactions. The intricacy of the calculations increases as the number of Bitcoin miners grows, forcing them to invest in even more powerful machines and more giant server farms for competitive advantage.

However, the Bitcoin proponents say the cryptocurrency still only uses a minute proportion of global electricity consumption – less than what's required to power the world's Christmas lights.

Are We Trying to Reduce the Carbon Footprint?

As the debate over Bitcoin's growing energy problem raised climate concerns, many miners worldwide have been trying to embrace green energy in mining. The strategies miners should use to reduce carbon footprint include:

• Improving mining processes • Cleaning up electricity supply • Shifting to renewable sources • Optimizing transportation • Reducing waste

Are Bitcoin's Emissions Dropping?

While notable personalities like Elon Musk, Michael Saylor, and Jack Dorsey exhort the industry to fuel-switch green energy, there has been a surprise increase in global carbon emissions. According to one of the leading energy journals, Elsevier's Joule, the share of renewables in the overall energy mining dropped from 42% in 2020 to 25% in August 2021. Likewise, the carbon footprint from generating electricity grew by 17% between 2020 and 2021.

Has the Climate Concern Impacted the Crypto Markets?

Yes, it has. Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, said in February 2021 that the company had invested $1.5 billion in Bitcoin. He added that it would accept the cryptocurrency as a payment method for its products. This move made the digital currency more popular with investors. However, Musk later that year announced a stunning turnabout that Tesla had suspended vehicle purchases using Bitcoin due to its climate change concerns. The decision provoked a sell-off in Bitcoin that affected many other cryptocurrencies.

What is the Most Efficient Bitcoin Miner?

The widely considered best Bitcoin miner is Antminer S19, followed by WhatsMiner M30S+ and AvalonMiner 1246. This mining hardware varies in power consumption, hash rate rating, and price. You can use profitability calculators with mining pools to find the best one for you.

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What Does the Future Hold?

Bitcoin's critics say the energy-hungry "proof of work" (PoW) system used on its blockchain was never designed to hold up what's now a trillion-dollar asset. This debate gave the backers of rival cryptocurrencies a chance to seize on Bitcoin's growing energy problem as an argument to shift to lower-power alternatives. Ethereum is widely expected to switch from energy-consuming PoW to "proof of stake" (PoS) by 2022. This will slash its estimated energy consumption by about 99%. Like Cardano and Solana, many newer blockchains also use variations of "proof of stake" as an alternative process that takes up less electricity.

The bright side is that Bitcoin's development community is experimenting with solutions to improve its energy efficiency, which may alleviate the climate concern. What the future holds for Bitcoin server mining and investors is still unknown. However, it remains the world's dominant cryptocurrency despite many challenges.

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Author: Wasay Ali

Author: Wasay Ali

Wasay Ali is a versatile professional writer with global experience and a background in mechanical engineering and social science. He is adept at crafting news and informational content for the crypto space and has experience writing for other niches. He is a professional SEO content writer who has worked with several digital marketing agencies and clients in the US, UK, Pakistan, and Europe. He is a dedicated volunteer and enjoys reading, writing, poetry, and going to the gym. He is an INFJ-A personality type dedicated to positively impacting the world. Wasay has a passion for writing as it allows him to express his creativity, share his knowledge, and connect with people worldwide.

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