Constant hum angering locals

[peter0425]

A loud hum has been the subjects of complaints from the local residents in a village in the New York state. For the last five years, people have been complaining about this constant hum that can be heard by the lake as they say. The village has 300 people and just like any other stories about economic development, this village also attempts to protect nature.



What is the cause of this hum anyway? Mining bitcoin. Under Trump's administration, bitcoin mining has grown and has been accepted more than ever. As a bitcoin enthusiast and someone who understands that some sacrifices have to be made in order to move forward, I would not want the operations to stop. But we also can't just completely ignore the concerns of the people. There should be balance that we have yet to find.

In an interview with Bitcoin Magazine in April, commerce secretary Howard Lutnick said: "We're going to make it so that if you want to mine Bitcoin, and you find the right place to do it, you can build your own power plant next to it,"

Mr Shapiro believes that, with miners looking for the lowest cost, they could turn to leftover renewable energy that can't be used by other applications. "Wind power in the ocean can't be used to power a city, but you can set up an offshore platform that captures offshore wind and tidal energy, and use that to mine Bitcoin

Researchers are working hard to find environmentally suitable ways for bitcoin to keep operating. We just can't hit pause on innovation, but we can find better ways so that people are not inconvenienced nor harmed. What other possible ways can be used to solve this problem?

Read the full article here.

[Davidvictorson]

This post belongs to the mining board. Anyways thank you for bringing this issue here. It is going to be a high growing concern if the government both the federal and state doesn't step in to speak to the mining companies. In as much as are doing this, it doesn't mean that you should bother the people around. It means they are sending a bad signal to them. In my estimation, these mining rigs should not be sited in residential property, it should be far away from places where people live.

[Lida93]

This post belongs to the mining board. Anyways thank you for bringing this issue here. It is going to be a high growing concern if the government both the federal and state doesn't step in to speak to the mining companies. In as much as are doing this, it doesn't mean that you should bother the people around. It means they are sending a bad signal to them. In my estimation, these mining rigs should not be sited in residential property, it should be far away from places where people live.

The fed or state government stepping into this situation would only lead to two scenarios; either the mining rig is to be relocated to a place suitable. Or they retain position and be making compensation to the community for the noise population. 

Honestly, industrial areas are where these mining rigs ought to be sited not residential because aside the noise they generate, there could also be other certain environmental health threat it could pose which may not be as significant as the noise population.

[Darker45]

This is unfair. Something should be done by the Trump administration moving forward.

However, this article appears to be written with malice, a bit of exaggeration, a bit of making a mountain out of a molehill. I mean, these people are annoyed of Bitcoin and its process of mining, but they voted for him despite his strong pro-Bitcoin statements during the campaign. Why didn't they vote for his opponent?

The article makes it appear as if they're annoyed of Trump and the Republicans but these mining operations have been ongoing for years. The Democrats had the country for 4 years, during which some of the largest Bitcoin mining farms in the US were built. Why were they permitted by the government?

Why isn't the article focused on blaming Biden's government and warning Trump's new administration?

[tread93]

A loud hum has been the subjects of complaints from the local residents in a village in the New York state. For the last five years, people have been complaining about this constant hum that can be heard by the lake as they say. The village has 300 people and just like any other stories about economic development, this village also attempts to protect nature.



What is the cause of this hum anyway? Mining bitcoin. Under Trump's administration, bitcoin mining has grown and has been accepted more than ever. As a bitcoin enthusiast and someone who understands that some sacrifices have to be made in order to move forward, I would not want the operations to stop. But we also can't just completely ignore the concerns of the people. There should be balance that we have yet to find.

In an interview with Bitcoin Magazine in April, commerce secretary Howard Lutnick said: "We're going to make it so that if you want to mine Bitcoin, and you find the right place to do it, you can build your own power plant next to it,"

Mr Shapiro believes that, with miners looking for the lowest cost, they could turn to leftover renewable energy that can't be used by other applications. "Wind power in the ocean can't be used to power a city, but you can set up an offshore platform that captures offshore wind and tidal energy, and use that to mine Bitcoin

Researchers are working hard to find environmentally suitable ways for bitcoin to keep operating. We just can't hit pause on innovation, but we can find better ways so that people are not inconvenienced nor harmed. What other possible ways can be used to solve this problem?

Read the full article here.

You know what ive known about this particular bitcoin mining facility practically since it was first ever even opened up! I was trying to help get them connected to the network when I worked in telecom. I remember trying to call in and reach the operator and checking out their website thinking how cool it was to see such a huge bitcoin mining operation happening in the states at the time. It was 2020 or 2021 when I looked into it. I always knew there was a noise associated with it but I never imagined that it would affect a whole town! I wonder if there is anything that they can do to soundproof of wash the noise or like filter it somehow to reduce it? ??

[headingnorth]

The source of humming are the fans used for air-cooling the ASIC miners, that generates all the noise.  

Probably the best solution is using liquid cooling instead of air, which make very little noise.
Liquid cooled miners have a higher initial cost but provide more effective cooling
than air, which brings down the maintenance, energy and operating costs.
Which makes sense as a long term investment.

Every computer requires some type of cooling. I'm running a liquid cooled Windows 11 Pro
desktop PC at home. Liquid cooled PCs used to be expensive and rare but today are much cheaper
and very common in the US consumer market. Back in the day of air cooled desktop PCs
you had to put up with a lot of fan noise. The more powerful the CPU/GPU the noisier they are.

But with liquid cooling it makes almost no noise at all despite being a high end spec PC.
Air cooled PCs will become obsolete with quiet, energy efficient liquid-cooled equipment
getting cheaper and more common in bitcoin mining.

[franky1]

many industries cause noise. traditional manufacturing causes noise. so the article is using a normal feature of industry to pretend that its something that only is caused by bitcoin...(facepalm)

as for power generation

usually a small region of 300 people dont get to have a 24/7 power plant being set up nearby, because residential demand is not there to cover costs, even if spread over 50 years longevity. this usually means people have to live off grid or use their own power generation(solar) if they are no where near the grid

however if there is a industry nearby that can afford to set up their own power plant, they can also connect nearby small towns and help them out, leading to rural towns prospering by being able to expand and grow

..
anyways
just wait until AI gigafarms start up everywhere using millions of GPU's. then rural town residents will cry about something non-bitcoin related, but again a side effect of just having any industry located near residential

[Die_empty]

The fed or state government stepping into this situation would only lead to two scenarios; either the mining rig is to be relocated to a place suitable. Or they retain position and be making compensation to the community for the noise population. 

Honestly, industrial areas are where these mining rigs ought to be sited not residential because aside the noise they generate, there could also be other certain environmental health threat it could pose which may not be as significant as the noise population.

Most people who live in that area are fascinated by the quietness and natural conditions. Some of them moved to the location because they wanted to flee from artificial noise pollution. I remember moving to a less noisy area, after a few months someone moved in with a very noisy electrical generating set. The noise made life like hell on earth. Sleeping was a problem until luckily he moved out.

I don't know if the complainants are overexgaratting the situation but I think noise could have some consequences.  Bitcoin mining firms should seek means to reduce the noise or consider relocating to an industrial area. They shouldn't cause people to suffer because of their business. 

[headingnorth]

There are plenty worse things than bitcoin mining IMO. Case in point, Los Angeles California has thousands of oil rigs
operating in the middle of densely populated urban neighborhoods. It's hard to believe until you see it for yourself.
You can imagine the environmental effects on people living and working in the area is not good. Worse, there are no mandated
buffer zones between the oil rigs and residential homes, schools, grocery stores, etc. You could be living right next door to an oil rig
or your child attending school next door to one.

And this is California, supposed to be the leading state in the country on environmental protection.
Los Angeles isn't a tiny rural town in the countryside with only 300 residents. It's a huge densely populated urban area with  
over a million people living or working within half mile of an oil rig. But hey who cares about all that let's keep attacking bitcoin!

[peter0425]

However, this article appears to be written with malice, a bit of exaggeration, a bit of making a mountain out of a molehill.

I think we can all agree that it’s hard to come by very objective articles. It’s like the more biased they are, the more clicks they generate and the more profit they make. Still, it doesn’t mean that what they are reporting is untrue. Though maybe overdramatized to really capture people’s interest.

The source of humming are the fans used for air-cooling the ASIC miners, that generates all the noise. 

Probably the best solution is using liquid cooling instead of air, which make very little noise.
Liquid cooled miners have a higher initial cost but provide more effective cooling
than air, which brings down the maintenance, energy and operating costs.
Which makes sense as a long term investment.

Maybe the government can help with the initial cost. Or maybe they’d let the miners spend money on it themselves. Anyway, they are gonna need to satisfy both the locals and the miners operating there.

[Lida93]

The fed or state government stepping into this situation would only lead to two scenarios; either the mining rig is to be relocated to a place suitable. Or they retain position and be making compensation to the community for the noise population. 

Honestly, industrial areas are where these mining rigs ought to be sited not residential because aside the noise they generate, there could also be other certain environmental health threat it could pose which may not be as significant as the noise population.

Most people who live in that area are fascinated by the quietness and natural conditions. Some of them moved to the location because they wanted to flee from artificial noise pollution. I remember moving to a less noisy area, after a few months someone moved in with a very noisy electrical generating set. The noise made life like hell on earth. Sleeping was a problem until luckily he moved out.

I don't know if the complainants are overexgaratting the situation but I think noise could have some consequences.  Bitcoin mining firms should seek means to reduce the noise or consider relocating to an industrial area. They shouldn't cause people to suffer because of their business. 

I can relate, especially as someone who has once found himself helpless under such situation even though it was just for a few days. Speaking from experience, noise can be stressful and disruptive to ones wellbeing  mostly when it becomes a recurrent decimal. Maybe laws should be penned down about mining rigs and the designated areas they should be situated and how many miles from residential area. This could help eliminate this menace before it gets out of hands.

[franky1]

Maybe laws should be penned down about mining rigs and the designated areas they should be situated and how many miles from residential area. This could help eliminate this menace before it gets out of hands.

there is already noise pollution laws!
the thing is some people want absolute peace (especially in rural area's)

there are people that actually move to rural area's of agricultural farms that then complain about havesters, and cows moo'ing
there are people that actually move to rural area's of agricultural farms that then complain about the smell of fertiliser or pollen count
there are people that actually move to rural area's that then complain about crows/blackbird/rooks and gull bird squawks

this is just one of those things where a rural area does not want any industrial factory or farm or big new highway that can cause any constant noise.

[lovesmayfamilis]

This is unfair. Something should be done by the Trump administration moving forward.

However, this article appears to be written with malice, a bit of exaggeration, a bit of making a mountain out of a molehill. I mean, these people are annoyed of Bitcoin and its process of mining, but they voted for him despite his strong pro-Bitcoin statements during the campaign. Why didn't they vote for his opponent?

Population of 300 people. How many of these people who have farms and grow grapes do you think understand the value of Bitcoin and are interested in mining it? The noise is comparable to the noise of an airplane. Does this seem like a small problem to you, making a mountain out of a molehill? I think there is a conflict of interest here. A place suitable for growing crops is being transformed into a technological place. I feel sorry for those people who are forced to experience all this. Even with great respect for Bitcoin, I will choose the health of people. In any case, a compromise must be found so that those who are not dependent on someone else, richer and more powerful, are not dependent on the desire to mine Bitcoin and thereby disrupt people's lives.

[Cricktor]

~~~

It's not that simple as you make it look like. Liquid cooling has a significant advantage as usually liquid coolants have a higher heat capacity than air per volume. You can transport heat off the source with less bulky equipment with liquid coolants than with air cooling. There's a big but as you have to get the heat out of the liquid coolant which is usually done with large radiators which transfer the heat from the liquid to air. If you can dump the heat into other media, like a natural flowing river nearby, very silent solutions compared to air radiators are possible.

Your liquid cooling of your PC is maybe quieter because the radiator is usually larger than an air-cooler directly attached to the CPU (or GPU). More surface area for the radiator means you can have slower spinning fans which are quieter.

Anyway, most common liquid cooling solutions have to dump the heat into air (or into another coolant circuit) and the liquid / air transfer interface needs to have sufficient capacity to fully transfer the produced heat of the heat source. There's no way around this.

[Die_empty]

There are plenty worse things than bitcoin mining IMO. Case in point, Los Angeles California has thousands of oil rigs
operating in the middle of densely populated urban neighborhoods. It's hard to believe until you see it for yourself.
You can imagine the environmental effects on people living and working in the area is not good. Worse, there are no mandated
buffer zones between the oil rigs and residential homes, schools, grocery stores, etc. You could be living right next door to an oil rig
or your child attending school next door to one.

And this is California, supposed to be the leading state in the country on environmental protection.
Los Angeles isn't a tiny rural town in the countryside with only 300 residents. It's a huge densely populated urban area with  
over a million people living or working within half mile of an oil rig. But hey who cares about all that let's keep attacking bitcoin!

I teach in school where oil exploration exist. It has severe environment and health problems. They are basically farmers and fishermen but the effect of crude drilling has destroyed the water and soil. Cancer and other sicknesses are rampant in the area because of pollution.

Nobody is supporting an oil rig to be close to a residential buildings. They should be far from where people are living and it is not also ideal to have a Bitcoin mining rig close residence if the noise is disturbing. Any form of population weitheir noise, air, land , water, whatsoever is bad to humans. If there is a means to relocate these industrial, it should be the best option. Life should be enjoyed and not endured.

[suzanne5223]

This post belongs to the mining board. Anyways thank you for bringing this issue here. It is going to be a high growing concern if the government both the federal and state doesn't step in to speak to the mining companies. In as much as are doing this, it doesn't mean that you should bother the people around. It means they are sending a bad signal to them. In my estimation, these mining rigs should not be sited in residential property, it should be far away from places where people live.

According to the image provided by the OP, I believe the mining rigs seems to be somehow far away from the people's residential area. However, Bitcoin miners need to prioritize the use of soundproofing, and immersion cooling for their mining rigs to help reduce noise that will cause disputes with neighbors or else sooner or later a lot of mining rig owner will be sue by their neighbor. Besides, it could lead to something that the cause the restriction of Bitcoin mining in some area.

[OrangeCoinGood]

offshore platform

Then the wilting flowers would be whining about the ginger-fleeced sea turtle.  We get it, Orange Man Bad.  Of course you don't have a problem with Biden letting this mining site being built.  Somehow it's Trump's fault. 

[headingnorth]

~~~

Your liquid cooling of your PC is maybe quieter because the radiator is usually larger than an air-cooler directly attached to the CPU (or GPU). More surface area for the radiator means you can have slower spinning fans which are quieter.

Anyway, most common liquid cooling solutions have to dump the heat into air (or into another coolant circuit) and the liquid / air transfer interface needs to have sufficient capacity to fully transfer the produced heat of the heat source. There's no way around this.

That is true. Liquid cooling systems still use fans to remove heat from the radiator but the fans
are usually much larger and/or slower spinning, making a lot less noise. Here's a sound comparison  
of air-cooled versus liquid immersion bitcoin miners. The difference is like night and day.
The latter wins hands down for quietness and energy efficiency. The technology is pretty cool.

Air cooling vs immersion cooling noise!
(Youtube link)


An immersion cooling system for bitcoin mining from Allied Control,
with rack-mounted tanks and custom piping system.(Photo: Allied Control)

[ABCbits]

--snip--
Maybe laws should be penned down about mining rigs and the designated areas they should be situated and how many miles from residential area. This could help eliminate this menace before it gets out of hands.

As stated by @franky1, noise pollution laws is exist. Rather than creating specific laws, it's better to ask whether it's properly enforced or make petition to update noise pollution laws to be more strict.

Why isn't the article focused on blaming Biden's government and warning Trump's new administration?

FWIW, they've started mining on Dresden before Biden administration. https://greenidge.com/greenidge-generation-announces-groundbreaking-sale-of-first-bitcoin-hashpower-contract-aimed-at-us-institutional-investors/ leads to their official announcement on 2020.

[348Judah]

A loud hum has been the subjects of complaints from the local residents in a village in the New York state. For the last five years, people have been complaining about this constant hum that can be heard by the lake as they say. The village has 300 people and just like any other stories about economic development, this village also attempts to protect nature.



What is the cause of this hum anyway? Mining bitcoin. Under Trump's administration, bitcoin mining has grown and has been accepted more than ever. As a bitcoin enthusiast and someone who understands that some sacrifices have to be made in order to move forward, I would not want the operations to stop. But we also can't just completely ignore the concerns of the people. There should be balance that we have yet to find.

They have water surrounding them, people are using this advantage to mine bitcoin, the population is not more than 300 people, then what else do we want, this is quite alright for mining locations since e it's not densely populated, regions like this being located in riverine areas are prone to water soundz aside that of mining bitcoin through the use of other mining equipment and setting up a rig there, I expect that most of them living in such area should be miners as well, except for few, who could be born citizens of that place.