Bitcoin mining heats homes for free in Siberia [video]

Post by loeg » Fri, Nov 03, 2017, 11:18 PM UTC

andrewwharton wrote: post #117

wlesieutre wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's true, I'm speaking more generally about bitcoin mining for heat, but it may make more sense in Siberia if electric heaters are the dominant heating method. There are other reasons electrical heating isn't great, heat pumps aside. An average coal plant (in the US in 2015, I'm using EIA numbers) was about 34% efficient in turning the energy in coal into electricity. Then you lose about 5% of that in transmission…

Interesting point about on-site combustion heating. Assuming that the fossil fuel to electricity conversion is about 1/3 efficient and the heat pump CoP is 3, then on-site combustion heating is effectively as "efficient" as a heat pump. I guess the main point is that "fossil fuel -> electricity -> grid -> heat pump" cycle seems crazily inefficient in terms of losses, especially when heating is a large portion of elec…

Post by _greim_ » Fri, Nov 03, 2017, 11:42 PM UTC

aidenn0 wrote: post #101

_greim_ wrote: post #31

This reminds me of a story; a buddy of mine during my college days lived in a solitary townhome adjoining a million-watt microwave emitter room. The thing produced enough waste heat to warm the apartment in the dead of winter, even with all the doors and windows open, plus the adjoining warehouse which was several times the volume of the dwelling. I was envious at the time, although now I wonder about the health impl…

It was probably fine; microwaves are fairly easily blocked by even a very thin metal screening. The main health issue with microwaves is the heating caused by it. The eyes are usually what is damaged first because they tick all 3 boxes of: * Easily damaged by heat * High water content * No good way of shedding heat Testicles hit the last two, and the degree to which the first is true is debated.

Post by _greim_ » Fri, Nov 03, 2017, 11:49 PM UTC

KGIII wrote: post #104

_greim_ wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that's essentially what they did. I got to go into the transmitter room and see the 1' diameter copper pipe which I was told carried the radiation out and up to the tower, and which not to approach too closely.

This whole story sounds horrifically dangerous and unlikely to be approved of with regards to zoning and building inspectors. By that, I mean I'm a tad bit green with envy.

Post by Faaak » Fri, Nov 03, 2017, 11:53 PM UTC

TedLePoireau wrote: post #148

wlesieutre wrote: post #3

Didn't watch the video, but a quick point on how the energy efficiency of this works out: Electric heaters are 100% efficient at turning electrical energy into heat. All the energy they take in, that's where it goes. Bitcoin mining (and computers in general) are basically in the same boat. There's some ancillary energy use for blowing air around or shining lights or making sound waves, but for the most part the elect…

This is what we are doing at Qarnot Computing for 5years. We created a heater using CPU as a heat source. People send a docker image (3d rendering, financial analysis...) and we run it on heaters deployed in buildings in Paris where people are heated for free (we refund the electricity cost) https://computing.qarnot.com https://www.qarnot.com/faq/ Disclosure: I work there :)

Post by kobeya » Sat, Nov 04, 2017, 12:12 AM UTC

dqpb wrote: post #122

andbberger wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is silly, CPUs are 100% efficient at converting electrical energy into heat. Where do you think that 'ancillary energy' is going? Obviously heat pumps are more efficient - that's kinda beside the point though. The main point here is you can take anywhere you had a resistive heating element and replace it with a mining chip, and you're now doing something useful with that energy you were turning into heat anyway.…

and you're now doing something useful with that energy you were turning into heat anyway. Is it useful? My (limited) understanding is that most of the work is just arbitrarily difficult number guessing for the sole purpose of being throttled...