Big innovation! This Thursday, November 2, Marathon Digital announced its intention to use methane from landfills to power its BTC mining installations. The company intends to turn its back on electricity from the public network, which is very expensive in terms of resources and environmental impact. If everything works as planned, Marathon Digital may have just laid the foundations for a global revolution in bitcoin mining activity. We are talking about it.
Marathon Digital wants to reduce the cost of mining thanks to methane gas
Marathon Digital, financially upset for some time, decided to convert methane gas emissions from landfills into a clean, renewable energy source. The company said it was committed to using this harmful gas naturally produced by landfills and biological waste to power its bitcoin mining facilities.
Marathon Digital also announced a methane gas supply partnership from landfills with the company Nodal Power. The asset management company specializing in renewable energies will supply methane to power the 280 kW BTC mining pilot project in Utah.
According to Marathon Digital CEO Fred Thiel, the use of methane “will help the company diversify its operations and reduce its energy costs.” As the halving of bitcoin and the reduction of the mining reward approach, the approach is easily understood.
BTC mining will now have a positive impact on the environment
In a report on methane, Marathon Digital claimed that the use of this gas will allow BTC mining to have a positive impact on the environment. This is precisely what completely changes the situation. Indeed, according to the United Nations Environment Program, methane is a greenhouse gas 80 times more powerful than carbon.
However, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, municipal waste emissions in 2021 were responsible for 14.3% of total methane emissions in the United States. Clearly, the initiative could also revolutionize the collective perception of the bitcoin mining activity.
Fred Thiel even indicated that Marathon Digital could launch other initiatives of this type if it bore fruit. We must hope that this project succeeds, because the excessive energy consumption of BTC mining has often been criticized by the American authorities.
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