OK, I cannot estimate how much energy would be saved, or more would be wasted, unless we have this chain running.
However, even more energy were burned, now it is not for the chain security only, the computation is used for a honest proof of the user data storage.
I think it is risky/difficulty to change Bitcoin into a storage blockchain now. But Im planning to make a storage chain with this design.
Beside, the tasks are the storage requests. In this era, we generates data any moment. So ideal there are enough tasks making the blockchain security.
And yes, more feedbacks, please.
I also believe its better to make a "pilot" storage blockchain because the chances of changing the underlying consensus type of Bitcoin is practically zero, for the distant future.
What I suggest is the following:
Try to emulate transaction volume between January 2021 and January 2022 on the pilot blockchain, so you can make an accurate estimation of the results or whatever you want to measure: efficiency, energy, or whatever.
However, it is still interesting if EcoPoW can be implemented. I'm working on it.
Because I see the opportunity that we can have a PoW blockchain without a mining pool.
That makes me excited.
I'm pretty sure that PoW is already useful in that it accomplishes what Nakamoto2008 described for it to do, but I am curious to know how a miner-less blockchain would look like in terms of participants. It is not desirable for the main stakeholders to be exchanges and liquidity pools (Proof of Stake / ETH) or banks (XRP).