It's pretty simple. Government should try to nudge mining companies to choose renewables over fossil fuels.
And this is exactly what EIA is going to do, they are going to get the data and from now it's the government going to penalize miners that consume fossil generated energy and make them use renewables. Nobody will give a damn if 100000Exahas are powered by the miners
own renewables, but if you're increasing community electricity prices because a miner gulps out all the electricity from a dam, that's not going to fly
Not only is the quantity of energy used in proof-of-work mining troubling, but so is the energy source. Fossil fuel consumption by miners has the potential to exacerbate environmental issues such as global warming. That's far less of an issue, though, if miners are employing renewable energy sources. However, this does not mean that miners' operations aren't negatively affecting the surrounding community, even if they are employing renewable energy. When considering the environmental impacts of proof-of-work mining, that is something that should definitely be taken into account.
so much to unpick and correct in all statements quoted above
a. stompix using 100000exa number.... yet reality is only <600exa for full
WORLD network, let alone just the american mining which is far less
b. stompix "because a miner gulps out all" a miner only uses <4KWh
i feel stompix's real fear is his out-of-date single asic he rented through a remote host will be seized by gov before he makes ROI
Gormicsta:
most significant asic farms (unlike stompixes favourite legally iffy and fossil powered hosts) already positioned themselves in regions where renewable power plants want mining business. and contracted electrical sales for 1-2year contract allotments of energy, fully knowing of the generation vs consumption demand/supply
what actually happens in a region is..
decades before a region can even build real estate, it needs power capacity. and so if a new renewable power plant is placed in the region. its done with considerations of FUTURE demand(forward planning supply needs, 50 years ahead of demand). thus has alot of excess supply potential in first few decades before real estate can develop to take that supply.
so power plants LOVE quick established demand as its early income before the long wait of real estate development to take on the new supply