Climate: hazelnuts rather than bitcoins

The flagship cryptocurrency, whose value now exceeds 11,000 euros, has a secret: it is extremely energy-intensive. But other greener virtual currencies exist.

Electricity consumed by more than 19 European countries. This is not a new record for producing solar energy. Sadly. But that the bitcoin traffic, this cryptocurrency that enters the financial sector and cracks caps valuation since November, consumes as electricity to operate. 37.22 TWh per year, enough to feed 3.4 million American households, estimates the site Digiconomics.

You hesitated to buy a small bitcoin 11 263 euros (course January 15)? Here is his "dirty" secret: it is extremely energy-intensive, and not any source of energy: coal. For, according to a study by the University of Cambridge, nearly 60% of bitcoin "mining" sites, these computers that carry out transactions and ensure their security, are located in China. But the world's leading power is still running at over 70% thanks to the dirtiest energy in the world. The virtual currency pumps so much energy that the Chinese authorities are preparing to limit the consumption allowed by the "mining" centers, revealed Bloomberg on January 3.

Huge potential:

Exit bitcoin, other currencies offer a virtual portfolio less heavy in carbon, such as Ether which only runs at 9.77 TWh per year. But that remains the annual consumption of more than 904,000 American homes.

Faced with this explosive use, some hope that it could help pull the production of renewable energy up. NastyMining, Arizona, uses solar and wind energy to power its mining center. HydroMiner, on the other hand, relies on hydroelectric power to supply these mining machines, thanks to two dams located in Austria. Genesis mining, a market leader, is taking advantage of Icelandic geothermal and cold energy to power and cool these centers. The potential for the development of renewable energies is enormous. Especially now that solar as wind has become extremely cheap in some countries.

Bitcoin, ether, blockchain: if you do not understand anything, there are still simpler virtual currencies, like the hazelnuts that, on the Mytroc site, allow you to exchange, for example, a new basket for a cat against petanque balls. that we offered you at Christmas. This without overheating machines on the other side of the planet.