What to do with limited free solar power?

[projectaspen]

I went all in and invested in a solar power installation for my house. About 2000 kwh per month... Currently I have a bunch of 480-570-580 RX mining Ethereum but they are all 4gb.

I was considering selling them and grabbing some 5700 as the year progresses. Is there any other more profitable idea? I considered the Innosilicon A10 but it might suffer from the DAG increase too. Doesn't have to be ethereum mining. Or mining lol... just want to put some 1500 kwh to work.

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[Wotan Wipeout]

You are talking about 2kw/h, right?
5700 are a good idea if you want to start fast. 2 or 3 rigs with 6 x 5700 will bring you there.
I, personally, would wait a bit longer and see what AMD brings next.
Might be an option to buy only 1 Rig with the new Big Navi.
Rumors tell each could (could!) be around 2 x 5700 GPUs.

If you want to a more flexible option i would look for used 2080 GPUs.
Not good at ETH but GRIN / KAWPOW /XZC and more. But more expensive.

It might depend on what you have. Power supplies? CPUs? The more you have, the more i would
go for the 5700 and build 3 Rigs.

[JayDDee]

Mining and solar energy are not a good fit. This was recently discussed in another thread.

[projectaspen]

You are talking about 2kw/h, right?
5700 are a good idea if you want to start fast. 2 or 3 rigs with 6 x 5700 will bring you there.
I, personally, would wait a bit longer and see what AMD brings next.
Might be an option to buy only 1 Rig with the new Big Navi.
Rumors tell each could (could!) be around 2 x 5700 GPUs.

If you want to a more flexible option i would look for used 2080 GPUs.
Not good at ETH but GRIN / KAWPOW /XZC and more. But more expensive.

It might depend on what you have. Power supplies? CPUs? The more you have, the more i would
go for the 5700 and build 3 Rigs.

Everything is expensive where I live tbh. A 5700 would be about U$600... can't find them used either. 2080s might be even more, like 800. That's why importing an ASIC could be something but I'm worried it will brick soon.

Regarding my current rig, it's one 12 gpu rig and another 6 gpu rig. I deactivated another 6 gpu rig... PSUs, CPU everything included. Since the 5700 don't draw so much power I might be able to reuse it...

Mining and solar energy are not a good fit. This was recently discussed in another thread.

I just read the most recent solar thread, I had read a little before. My installation is grid and already done. I can't sell the power I don't use where I live... I believe I don't have those issues with batteries in my system.

[JayDDee]

Mining and solar energy are not a good fit. This was recently discussed in another thread.

I just read the most recent solar thread, I had read a little before. My installation is grid and already done. I can't sell the power I don't use where I live... I believe I don't have those issues with batteries in my system.

In your case I think it would be better to try to find others uses for the excess energy like time shifting certain
activities like laundry and cooking. If that's not enough fire up the old GPUs (different algo if necessary) while the
sun is shining. But considering mining will not be 24/7 buying new equipment isn't worth it.

Since you can't sell your excess you may want to consider buying batteries, instead of GPUs, to reduce your draw from
the grid at night.

[projectaspen]

in my case, whatever my system generates, goes to the grid and generates credit for me to use. that means I can use it for mining 24/7, and I might have a few credits left as the system took a month before the electric company approved...no need for batteries or to stop it at night. my lifestyle doesn't consume more than 0.6kwh per month so I need to source that to mining or something

[JayDDee]

My installation is grid and already done. I can't sell the power I don't use where I live.

in my case, whatever my system generates, goes to the grid and generates credit for me to use.

Which is it?

[projectaspen]

My installation is grid and already done. I can't sell the power I don't use where I live.

in my case, whatever my system generates, goes to the grid and generates credit for me to use.

Which is it?

I live in Brazil, whatever my solar system generates goes to the grid. Suppose 2kwh. Then I can use that 2kwh, but I can not resell it to other people... Whatever I generate accumulates in this generation account.

[rdluffy]

What OP is trying to explain is that he cannot sell the energy he has generated to other people, he can only sell to the energy company, but not for money, the company will generate credits to use when he is not generating solar energy

In your case I would put these cards you already have to mine, it's 4Gb but Phoenix and Claymore are doing well with 4gb, and you'll always have the option to mine with Nicehash
Do the math of how much you consume and how much you can use to mine, and with the money you'll generate you can buy rx 5700 or the new RDNAs cards

[JayDDee]

I live in Brazil, whatever my solar system generates goes to the grid. Suppose 2kwh. Then I can use that 2kwh, but I can not resell it to other people... Whatever I generate accumulates in this generation account.

Misunderstanding, selling to the utility is still selling.

As long as you get credit for everything you produce, even a net surplus, it's better than mining.
If you have excess production that isn't creditted it's better to use it than lose it, ie mine with existing HW.

If you're getting full credit for your solar production then mining is just another energy consumer like any other.
This leads back to my original statement that mining and solar are not a good fit. They should each be evaluated
seperately on their own merits.

Mining works better with a more constant and predictable power source that can support 24/7 operation.
The grid does that very well.

[projectaspen]

The rules are changing here in Brazil, maybe tax rebates are coming, but I can't convert what I produce in solar to cash. I can only use it... Meaning, I'm not properly selling to the electric company, I'm acquiring rights to use as much power as the system produces

[JayDDee]

The rules are changing here in Brazil, maybe tax rebates are coming, but I can't convert what I produce in solar to cash. I can only use it... Meaning, I'm not properly selling to the electric company, I'm acquiring rights to use as much power as the system produces

That only matters if you produce a net surplus. It is also the only case where you can mine with
"free power". It's not really free but, if not used, it's wasted.

The bottom line answer for your subject question is first offset any grid usage using your credit account
with the utility. Only mine if you have excess power that would not be creditted using your existing HW which
is already bought and paid for. No expenses, pure profit.

[projectaspen]

Yes, I contracted about 1.8kwh extra for mining...

I started mining two years ago and had to stop due to electricity costs. I had all the hardware. I was interested in solar power from the beggining then took a leap of faith and invested in a system that would also enable me to mine "for free". But then the DAG rose and we're about to reach 4gb. I can mine about double with the surplus that the 5700 provides but they are really hard to find atm...damn gamers quarantining lol

[rdluffy]

Yes, I contracted about 1.8kwh extra for mining...

I started mining two years ago and had to stop due to electricity costs. I had all the hardware. I was interested in solar power from the beggining then took a leap of faith and invested in a system that would also enable me to mine "for free". But then the DAG rose and we're about to reach 4gb. I can mine about double with the surplus that the 5700 provides but they are really hard to find atm...damn gamers quarantining lol

As I said, Claymore and Phoenix are doing well with the dag size, I don't understand why can't you start mining right now if you have extra electricity that you won't use and there's no benefit of accumulating since you don't use all electricity generated

Solar systems are expensive, you should think before, but now you have 2000 kwh per month, use it, the best way in you case is mining, and use the hardware you have, when the Dag size increase, mine another coin, or put in nicehash, easy
And you can always sell your cards and buy rx 5700 if you find a good deal

[projectaspen]

Yes, I contracted about 1.8kwh extra for mining...

I started mining two years ago and had to stop due to electricity costs. I had all the hardware. I was interested in solar power from the beggining then took a leap of faith and invested in a system that would also enable me to mine "for free". But then the DAG rose and we're about to reach 4gb. I can mine about double with the surplus that the 5700 provides but they are really hard to find atm...damn gamers quarantining lol

As I said, Claymore and Phoenix are doing well with the dag size, I don't understand why can't you start mining right now if you have extra electricity that you won't use and there's no benefit of accumulating since you don't use all electricity generated

Solar systems are expensive, you should think before, but now you have 2000 kwh per month, use it, the best way in you case is mining, and use the hardware you have, when the Dag size increase, mine another coin, or put in nicehash, easy
And you can always sell your cards and buy rx 5700 if you find a good deal

Yes, I'm mining atm, full capacity and already sold some 570s and gear I won't use. But, it's about 5-6 months until DAG changes right? I'd like to prepare already for the switch, so I was wondering if the 5700s were really the best option or perhaps an ASIC...

Because the whole time I was preparing the solar system, I had the ASIC in mind. I don't follow much GPU or gaming news so totally missed the fact that the 5700 could do 50mh/s @ 120w...

[rdluffy]

Yes, I'm mining atm, full capacity and already sold some 570s and gear I won't use. But, it's about 5-6 months until DAG changes right? I'd like to prepare already for the switch, so I was wondering if the 5700s were really the best option or perhaps an ASIC...

Because the whole time I was preparing the solar system, I had the ASIC in mind. I don't follow much GPU or gaming news so totally missed the fact that the 5700 could do 50mh/s @ 120w...

I have a Gigabyte 5700xt, doing 54mhs at 120w at the wall, it's a good hashrate per watt, you can buy a couple and wait for the new RDNA2 cards that AMD will launch in the end of the year
You have to consider that new cards will launch but we have to wait to buy at a good price, and devs have to adjust miners to have a good performance on new cards

About Asics vs GPUs, in Brazil it's very difficulty to buy and sell asics, I would stick with GPUs, it's easy to resell and have 3 years of warranty (Asus, Gigabyte ) or 2 years (another brands), better than buy Asics from China, have to pay taxes and without any warranty and resell value

[projectaspen]

Yes, I'm mining atm, full capacity and already sold some 570s and gear I won't use. But, it's about 5-6 months until DAG changes right? I'd like to prepare already for the switch, so I was wondering if the 5700s were really the best option or perhaps an ASIC...

Because the whole time I was preparing the solar system, I had the ASIC in mind. I don't follow much GPU or gaming news so totally missed the fact that the 5700 could do 50mh/s @ 120w...

I have a Gigabyte 5700xt, doing 54mhs at 120w at the wall, it's a good hashrate per watt, you can buy a couple and wait for the new RDNA2 cards that AMD will launch in the end of the year
You have to consider that new cards will launch but we have to wait to buy at a good price, and devs have to adjust miners to have a good performance on new cards

About Asics vs GPUs, in Brazil it's very difficulty to buy and sell asics, I would stick with GPUs, it's easy to resell and have 3 years of warranty (Asus, Gigabyte ) or 2 years (another brands), better than buy Asics from China, have to pay taxes and without any warranty and resell value

you sir certainly knows a lot about Brazil. the worst thing about Asics is having to pay in BTC and not being sure if they even gonna deliver

[crazydane]

I have a 50kW solar system that allows me to run about 10 GPU rigs (56 GPUs total), that gives me a decent profit.  The mining rigs consume about 8kW 24/7.

This table shows my monthly solar production and mining rig consumption.  In the winter time all my rigs are in my house keeping it nice and warm to the point I don't have to run my heat pump at all.  In the summer I keep all the rigs in my shop building.  They use a little more power since I have to run some fans to keep the air flowing:

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Grand Total
Solar Production kWh	3,952	4,371	5,401	6,635	6,342	7,124	33,825
Total Usage kWh	6,100	6,100	6,100	6,200	6,216	6,527	37,243
Grand Total kWh	-2,148	-1,729	-699	435	126	597	-3,419

This table shows my monthly "earnings" from solar (my power cost is $0.12 per kWh) and the cost of running the rigs.  So as you can see, in the summer months, the solar generates enough energy to cover the mining rigs 100%.  In the winter, the rigs heats my house 100%, so I would have had to spent that ~$200/month to heat the house easy.

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Grand Total
Solar Production $	$474.21	$524.51	$648.09	$796.22	$761.00	$854.93	$4,058.97
Total Usage $	$730.00	$730.00	$730.00	$740.00	$745.91	$783.29	$4,459.20
Grand Total $	$(255.79)	$(205.49)	$(81.91)	$56.22	$15.08	$71.64	$(400.23)

My rigs have all been on Zcoin 100% of the time, so my earnings are pretty easy to calculate:

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Grand Total
Zcoin	163	139	193	209	236	254	1193
Value (@ $4.25)	$694.05	$588.63	$819.37	$886.65	$1,001.37	$1,080.60	$5,070.66

So in essence, I don't pay for the electricity needed to mine, and have had pure profit for the first half of 2020 of $845 a month.

The solar and mining rigs were paid for a long time ago as I have been running since 2017 and was able to sell off quite a bit when bitcoin hit close to $20k.

[projectaspen]

Why do you have such a big mining system, mind me asking? Did you get it with a discount or full price? That would be about 500k here

Good point in Brazil is that winter does not interfere with the solar too much... it's winter ATM and the system is generating what it should...

I have a 50kW solar system that allows me to run about 10 GPU rigs (56 GPUs total), that gives me a decent profit.  The mining rigs consume about 8kW 24/7.

This table shows my monthly solar production and mining rig consumption.  In the winter time all my rigs are in my house keeping it nice and warm to the point I don't have to run my heat pump at all.  In the summer I keep all the rigs in my shop building.  They use a little more power since I have to run some fans to keep the air flowing:

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Grand Total
Solar Production kWh	3,952	4,371	5,401	6,635	6,342	7,124	33,825
Total Usage kWh	6,100	6,100	6,100	6,200	6,216	6,527	37,243
Grand Total kWh	-2,148	-1,729	-699	435	126	597	-3,419

This table shows my monthly "earnings" from solar (my power cost is $0.12 per kWh) and the cost of running the rigs.  So as you can see, in the summer months, the solar generates enough energy to cover the mining rigs 100%.  In the winter, the rigs heats my house 100%, so I would have had to spent that ~$200/month to heat the house easy.

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Grand Total
Solar Production $	$474.21	$524.51	$648.09	$796.22	$761.00	$854.93	$4,058.97
Total Usage $	$730.00	$730.00	$730.00	$740.00	$745.91	$783.29	$4,459.20
Grand Total $	$(255.79)	$(205.49)	$(81.91)	$56.22	$15.08	$71.64	$(400.23)

My rigs have all been on Zcoin 100% of the time, so my earnings are pretty easy to calculate:

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Grand Total
Zcoin	163	139	193	209	236	254	1193
Value (@ $4.25)	$694.05	$588.63	$819.37	$886.65	$1,001.37	$1,080.60	$5,070.66

So in essence, I don't pay for the electricity needed to mine, and have had pure profit for the first half of 2020 of $845 a month.

The solar and mining rigs were paid for a long time ago as I have been running since 2017 and was able to sell off quite a bit when bitcoin hit close to $20k.

[philipma1957]

Go cheap get some ltc3 asic miners down clock them to use 500 watts. 4 pieces is all you need.  you will do around 1.5 gh that is about   $1.50 usd a day you would also earn around .25 usd a day in doge coin.

1.75 a day = 52.50 a month.



4 l3+ miners are about 200 usd with apw3 psu's if you lived in usa shipping would be cheap being in Brazil makes shipping hard and costly from a USA seller.

it is about 280 to ship that.