We'd love board feedback on our concept: Combined Heating and Computation

[adesanctis]

Hello Bitcoin world!

First time listener, first time caller...first....timer.

I'll be as brief as possible. I've got a client who has developed a prototype machine that essentially captures, stores, and when necessary, distributes the waste heat generated from high capacity computing. The prototype and the concept is mostly being pushed out over Energy Efficiency related networks. While my client is a Bitcoin miner on the side, I thought it was time to start engaging the Bitcoin communities a little as well.

In a nutshell, the system is a node in a larger distributed network that is sending high capacity computation back out to the grid for others (maybe you?) to use. In putting that data out to the grid (presumably to similar type machines) the waste heat is locally captured and directed accordingly.

While there are a ton of applications for that extra computing power, your community seems to have the greatest immediate use and quite frankly, the most available source of expertise.

In the coming weeks, we'll be starting a KS or Indie campaign to raise money for R&D. Ideally, we'd actually like to crowd source a lot of the R&D particularly as we develop the distributed networking capacity. There is R&D related to materials as well, but that's wet lab based and will address different issues.

www.3xergy.com

Would love your comments / questions on the thread, but please feel free to reach out directly via the website's contact form.

Thanks ya'll!

[Foxpup]

I don't get it. Why would anybody in their right mind want to heat a building using the waste heat from electrical devices when it's far more energy efficient to just use a heat pump?

[adesanctis]

Air source heat pumps are generally only effective in moderately cool and warm climates. Also, their efficiency / cheapness of use has as much to do with KWh rates as anything else. Electrons are cheap these days, especially with nat gas power plants replacing coal.

It's at the proof of concept stage right now. It's important to prove that we can consistently capture, radiate, and store thermal energy essentially using data packets.   

The idea is that it's doing these things with one electrical input rather than multiple inputs going to a separate water heater or furnace / HVAC system. 

We are partnering with an entity whose technology comes pretty close to revolutionizing air conditioning - it's pretty big and would only really scale at the data center level, but again, if we can get that going, prove the concept, the efficiency factors can be further modeled and improved on for (hopefully) home or even community level use. 

[adesanctis]

I'm re-posting from a question someone had on another thread. might be a clearer on the concept.

"We are based in the US and while there are definitely mining applications, the idea is that the computational load across a larger distributed network essentially becomes the "fuel" to keep the components hot and transferring heat. There's also local computational demand, so theoretically, the device could control anything in your house with a CPU or GPU. Globally, the collective computational power could be tapped by you, or third parties for whatever it's needed for - advanced math, research, whatever. It's not an uncommon model actually. SETI uses a similar platform where they will use a portion of your home computer's power to run calcs - but it's extremely limiting. This prototype is VERY powerful computationally speaking. Essentially, when you plug it into a network of other "like minded" devices, you've got access to a super computer that just so happens to heat / coool your home, give you got water, and act as a smart meter for all of your other digital devices.

That's the idea anyway!"

[Foxpup]

Do you honestly expect anyone to believe such nonsense?

[adesanctis]

I'm not sure how to take that one - "believe" what? That there's a working prototype? The theory behind its application on a distributed network? Mining? I'm not saying we don't have a lot of work to do - we do. I'm just looking for genuine feedback.

Did you visit our site? There are solid photos of the build here. http://www.3xergy.com/wp/the-chc-prototype/
 
(Umm - embarrassing admission - how do I post pics in my post? I'd like to drop in some mods my client made to the prototype this weekend....)

Fun fact - he was using 5 gallon plastic paint bucks in the thermal storage but the temp was getting too hot and compromising the plastic's integrity. Gearing up to fabricate something more capable of handling high temps.

[Wardrick]

Maybe people who run mass BTC mining operations or botting set ups could use this as an alternative to heat their house in the winter and it might even out the cost of their power bill.

[BADecker]

Aren't you really talking about shifting the computing of computations that you are now doing, to other people's computers, via the Net, so that their computers get hot rather than yours? Then you get the results of the computation back for your own use, while the people get their heat off their computers for their own use.

Isn't this what the mining pools are doing already?

[adesanctis]

Yea you're gettin it!

[adesanctis]

Maybe people who run mass BTC mining operations or botting set ups could use this as an alternative to heat their house in the winter and it might even out the cost of their power bill.

Mining is just one application where a distributed network would add value. There are also applications to smart grid / demand side management, and the whole "internet of things" possibilities.

[coinits]

I don't get it. Why would anybody in their right mind want to heat a building using the waste heat from electrical devices when it's far more energy efficient to just use a heat pump?

Well the heat is going to be generated from high capacity computer processing so might as well capture it and use it because you can't mine cryptos with a heat pump

[Wardrick]

I don't get it. Why would anybody in their right mind want to heat a building using the waste heat from electrical devices when it's far more energy efficient to just use a heat pump?

Well the heat is going to be generated from high capacity computer processing so might as well capture it and use it because you can't mine cryptos with a heat pump

Would it be profitable for people to invest in a mining op if I started one because my electricity bill is the same every month no matter how much electricity I use.

[adesanctis]

I don't get it. Why would anybody in their right mind want to heat a building using the waste heat from electrical devices when it's far more energy efficient to just use a heat pump?

Well the heat is going to be generated from high capacity computer processing so might as well capture it and use it because you can't mine cryptos with a heat pump

There you go - we're trying to pull more outputs out of less inputs.

[adesanctis]

I don't get it. Why would anybody in their right mind want to heat a building using the waste heat from electrical devices when it's far more energy efficient to just use a heat pump?

Well the heat is going to be generated from high capacity computer processing so might as well capture it and use it because you can't mine cryptos with a heat pump

Would it be profitable for people to invest in a mining op if I started one because my electricity bill is the same every month no matter how much electricity I use.

I'm sure there is a model there - again admittedly, I know very little about the mining world.

[coinits]

I don't get it. Why would anybody in their right mind want to heat a building using the waste heat from electrical devices when it's far more energy efficient to just use a heat pump?

Well the heat is going to be generated from high capacity computer processing so might as well capture it and use it because you can't mine cryptos with a heat pump

Would it be profitable for people to invest in a mining op if I started one because my electricity bill is the same every month no matter how much electricity I use.

What part of the world are you in? I pay the same every month but December. That is when I have to settle my account. Either they owe me a credit or I owe them extra.

[Wardrick]

I don't get it. Why would anybody in their right mind want to heat a building using the waste heat from electrical devices when it's far more energy efficient to just use a heat pump?

Well the heat is going to be generated from high capacity computer processing so might as well capture it and use it because you can't mine cryptos with a heat pump

Would it be profitable for people to invest in a mining op if I started one because my electricity bill is the same every month no matter how much electricity I use.

What part of the world are you in? I pay the same every month but December. That is when I have to settle my account. Either they owe me a credit or I owe them extra.

I live in the US, my job gives me housing and I pay a certain amount each month no matter how much electricity, heat, water, or anything I use.

[coinits]

I don't get it. Why would anybody in their right mind want to heat a building using the waste heat from electrical devices when it's far more energy efficient to just use a heat pump?

Well the heat is going to be generated from high capacity computer processing so might as well capture it and use it because you can't mine cryptos with a heat pump

Would it be profitable for people to invest in a mining op if I started one because my electricity bill is the same every month no matter how much electricity I use.

What part of the world are you in? I pay the same every month but December. That is when I have to settle my account. Either they owe me a credit or I owe them extra.

I live in the US, my job gives me housing and I pay a certain amount each month no matter how much electricity, heat, water, or anything I use.

Start a big PHS Mining Operation then. Get a couple of thousand Antminer S3s

[Wardrick]

I don't get it. Why would anybody in their right mind want to heat a building using the waste heat from electrical devices when it's far more energy efficient to just use a heat pump?

Well the heat is going to be generated from high capacity computer processing so might as well capture it and use it because you can't mine cryptos with a heat pump

Would it be profitable for people to invest in a mining op if I started one because my electricity bill is the same every month no matter how much electricity I use.

What part of the world are you in? I pay the same every month but December. That is when I have to settle my account. Either they owe me a credit or I owe them extra.

I live in the US, my job gives me housing and I pay a certain amount each month no matter how much electricity, heat, water, or anything I use.

Start a big PHS Mining Operation then. Get a couple of thousand Antminer S3s

Yeah I was wondering what the profit would be, would you have an estimate?

[notbatman]

Would Maxwell's dæmon classify as combined heating and computation?

[notbatman]

We have digital money storage, so why not digital energy storage? Store the heat as 1's and 0's!