Hi
One problem with BitCoin mining is that it generates heat. For me, in Winter in Australia, that's a useful thing; but for the majority of miners at the moment it's a problem rather than an asset.
What I'd like to see is for people to find ways to make use of this heat.
Definitaly there are ways to use heat from BTC miners. I'm looking for solutions as well.The winter is comming, so I'm not really in rush, but I want to design and make something usefull until winter ends.
For example, in my '70s caravan there was a fridge that ran on LPG. It had an element that made cold air when you heated it. Given video cards are generating 200-300 watts of heat energy, perhaps it is possible to make a fridge driven by BitCoin mining.
LPG fridge is running basically on fire, which means high temperature above 200°C. So this is not usefull application for BTC miners.
Similarly, you might be able to build a dehumidifier. (A 70 watt peltier element will usually cover one room.)
Dehumidifying with peltier uses cold side of peltier to condensate water. The heat generated+moved at the other side of peltier in fact waste. There is no cold spot on BTC miner and you cannot improve peltier condensation effect with additional heat, so this is not possible.
And of course, for the major miners, perhaps it's possible to make an air conditioner using similar principles.
Air conditioner is same principle. You want to "generate" cool with heat. Not possible. (At least not efficiently.)
Another option is a tropical fish tank heater.
This might be good application.
I don't know if there's a practical way to differentiate between green and dirty bitcoins, but it's an amusing idea. Perhaps a Green pool?
While it might be possible for me to patent such ideas, doing so would limit the possibility for people to build such things; so I'd rather just put the idea out there if it's not already.
Most effective way to use BTC miner heat is, not suprisingly, to heat things.
If you use it for heating your water, you could achieve effectivity close to 100% and you can save on electricity (or any other thing you use to heat your water). I want to achieve exactly this option. But it's not easy task.
You need to use water cooling to efficiently take heat from miner.
Your miner need to be cooled. That means it "likes" cold water. You need to supply it with cold water and it will provide you less cold water.
For example: supply water has 10°C, output water has 20°C. Miner is happy, you in shower are probably not.
When watter heats up to 60°C, output water could be 70°C, you will be happy in shower, but your miner will be near melting.
So there needs to be balance between this two situations. And probavbly backup cooling in case your tank reaches target temperature.
