Why Tesla Wants a Connection between Bitcoin Mine and Solar Energy

A few days later, Tesla reversed its stance on cryptocurrencies by removing Bitcoin as a payment option. The company had a concern about the amount of energy needed by the Bitcoin network. Many people in the Tesla community expressed concern when the company first announced it was investing in Bitcoin, and many were angry that the company hadn't thought of it before.

Tesla announced that it would not sell its Bitcoin stake. Furthermore, it would resume accepting Bitcoin payments once the network could demonstrate that it was using more renewable energy. Elon Musk, Tesla and Twitter’s CEO, stated in the summer of 2016 that he believes Tesla will resume accepting Bitcoin payments because Bitcoin mining consumes less energy. This hasn't happened yet, but Tesla is now directly involved in supplying clean energy to Bitcoin mining.

Blockstream and Blocks, formerly Square, collaborate on a Bitcoin mining facility in Texas. They are now in partnership with Tesla to power the facility with a 3.8 MW solar farm and a 12 MWh Megapack system: The sun will provide 30 Petahashes per second of power to this system.

According to the companies, construction on the project has already begun. On completion, they intend to release performance reports regularly. This will be to demonstrate that using renewable energy to power cryptocurrency mining is a good economic decision.

Why Would Tesla Make This Decision?

This is a significant advancement for Bitcoin and cryptocurrency mining in general. High-performance computers have long been chastised for consuming a lot of energy and having a negative impact on the environment. Tesla's transition to renewable energy will undoubtedly serve as a model for the rest of the industry.

How do Tesla Owners Mine Cryptocurrency With Their Cars?

One ingenious Tesla owner has discovered a new way to use his electric vehicle aside from driving it - he uses the battery to mine Bitcoin. Siraj Raval while speaking to CNBC, said he charges his Apple computer with free Bitcoin software by plugging it into his 2018 Tesla Model 3. He also has graphics processing units connected to the "funk," which is the name for his Tesla's trunk.

Last year, Raval revealed that running his Bitcoin software on his Tesla earned him up to $800 per month. However, he has only made an attempt to mine Bitcoin and Ethereum. CNBC investigated cryptocurrency mining and discovered that it consumes a lot of energy. This is because computers worldwide have to share their computing power with the global crypto network.  After that, it then generates new coins and verifies transactions involving existing tokens.

Raval went on to say he had gained a lot from hacking into Tesla's computer and directly plugging connected graphics processing units into the car's electric motor. However, using Tesla cars to mine cryptocurrency may not be worth it due to the risk of voiding the warranty. Meanwhile, a couple of Tesla owners who bought their vehicles before 2017 enrolled in a program that provides free, unlimited supercharging training for their vehicles.

Supercharging is free. However, some Tesla owners believe it is not worthwhile to use their vehicles to mine cryptocurrency. "It will use the money it makes from both transportation and cryptocurrency mining services to pay for things like repairs, electricity costs, and upgrades, as well as to invest in a diverse portfolio of new crypto-community networks," Raval explained.

How Many Solar Panels would Mine Bitcoins?

The solar panels you need to mine Bitcoin are dependent on the amount of solar energy coming from the sun. It also depends on how many Bitcoin you want to mine. It also depends on where you live, the orientation of your roof, the space available for solar panels, and the type of solar panels you want to buy.

On average, a single mining rig requires 450 to 500 Watts of power. When more than one graphics processing unit is active, this rises to 900–1500 Watts (GPUs). Solar panels installed in a sunny part of the United States will produce an average of 229 Watts per square meter.

Given that solar panels cannot produce power at night, Bitcoin miners need about six to twelve square meters of solar panels. In addition, a battery system is also required to store energy, allowing GPUs to work at night.

Pros of Mining Cryptocurrency Using Solar Power

After installing solar panels, you will no longer have to pay for electricity to run your Bitcoin mining operation. Modern solar panels can last for decades, so you won't have to pay for electricity for an extended period.

The most expensive part is setting up solar-powered cryptocurrency mining. There are few, if any, ongoing expenses. As a result, you'll have a consistent stream of income that will grow over time.

Because Bitcoin mining consumes a lot of energy, using traditional energy sources to power is bad for the environment. Conventional energy production pollutes the environment and increases the number of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Using solar energy to mine Bitcoin is a good and environmentally friendly method.

Furthermore, the power grid can fail for a variety of reasons. Most of them, however, do not affect solar energy. Once installed, solar energy is a powerful and dependable source of energy.

Cons Of Mining Cryptocurrency Using Solar Power 

Solar-powered cryptocurrency mining is initially expensive. However, everyone understands that joining the grid is inexpensive. This is because you only pay for electricity, not the infrastructure that makes it work.

There may also be concerns about how much solar electricity panels can generate. For example, a prolonged period of bad weather can cause your solar panels to produce significantly less energy.

Due to the high cost of solar infrastructure, you'll have to keep mining Bitcoin for a few years before recouping your initial investment. You will also need to do a lot of mining to get your money back.

The amount of solar energy you can generate is also limited by the amount of space available for solar panels. Depending on where you live, you may be unable to install sufficient solar panels to power your Bitcoin business.