INTRODUCTION TO BITCOIN MINING
Bitcoin mining is solving a series of complex puzzles and confirmation of blocks of transaction. In this case, the miner gets a reward for every puzzle solved which leads to a confirmed block. This has always happened back in the early days of bitcoin. Some school of thought has it that bitcoin mining involves minting cryptocurrency and verifying or creating a new blockchain. We know that on average, every ten minutes a block is confirmed. This is one of the concepts that support the decentralization of Bitcoin or cryptocurrency in the world since no one has central authority to stop or influence the creation and verifying a blockchain.
AVERAGE COST OF MINING BITCOIN
Mining Bitcoin is very expensive and may not be profitable for an individual miner. On average, it cost over 20,000 dollars or more to set up a bitcoin mining business. An average person can’t afford this. The ranges at which the mining machine cost are:
Brand new ones: $10,000 – $20,000 and fairly used or old ones: $2000 - $8000, depending on the brand in question.
EFFECT OF AMOUNT OF ENERGY CONSUMED IN MINING BITCOIN
• Mining bitcoin is expensive because of the amount of electricity needed to run a system or mining machine.
• According to an article written by, Shawn Tully, 2021 states that “The report states that each Bitcoin transaction kilowatt-hours of electrcity. That’s the volume of energy that could “power the typical American home for six weeks,” the authors add. The Bitcoin mining that enables a purchase, sale, or transfer, it posits, uses a slug of electricity that costs $176. That number is based on an average worldwide cost per kWh of 9.0 cents over the past 12 months”.
SOURCES OF ENERGY USED IN BITCOIN MINING AND THE EFFECTS ON THE SOCIETY.
1. Electricity: This is one of the most used sources of energy by bitcoin miners because of its availability and durability.
Effects of mining Bitcoin using electricity:
• It wastes a lot of energy that would have been invested in other sectors of the economy the society.
• Depending on location and cost of electricity of the miner, mining bitcoin may not be profitable.
• Radiation from those multiple mining systems emits a lot of radical rays which contain cancerous substances that can cause harm to society.
2. RENEWABLE ENERGY: These are energies gotten mostly from natural sources which are converted to one form or the other. They don’t have any harmful effects on the greenhouse(ozone layer). Examples include solar, wind, and ocean tides.
EFFECTS OF MINING BITCOIN USING RENEWABLE ENERGY:
• It’s efficient.
• It saves cost when compared to electricity.
• It’s expensive to set up.
• It is affected by the geographical location of the miners.
• Carbon emissions are not totally eradicated.
• It’s not reliable, because it’s based on weather and seasons.
• It produces a safer environment for people to live in.
• More jobs are provided for the people in society.
• Maintenance services are low when compared to electricity.
• Miners make more profit.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, bitcoin mining has a lot of pros and cons varying from the cost of electricity to carbon emissions. I suggest people go into mining using a renewable energy sources. But I’m open to suggestions and questions from everyone