Cambridge University According to the results of a new study published by Bitcoin mining activities, the sustainable energy rate increased from 37.6 percent in 2022 to 52.4 percent. Cambridge Judge Business School Alternative financial center (CCAF), the report shows that the use of natural gas in the sector has left the use of coal and nuclear renewable resources have a significant share in total energy consumption.
Natural Gas Use left coal behind
One of the most striking changes in the report is the transformation in energy sources. The production of 36.6 percent of the electricity used in mining in 2022 coal While its use fell to only 8.9 percent as of 2024, natural gas The use increased from 25 percent to 38.2 percent in the same period. This has brought natural gas to the primary energy source in the sector.
Sustainable ResourcesThe share of in has increased remarkably. Renewable energy sources, especially hydroelectric and wind energy use of 42.6 percent of the use, while nuclear energy contributed with a share of 9.8 percent. Thus, the sector has shown that it has started to respond to pressures on environmental sustainability.
The data compiled by Cambridge are based on the surveys of 49 mining companies operating in 23 countries. 41 percent of these companies are open to the public and 48 percent of the total global Bitcoin Mining Hash Rate.
Miners are turning to new areas
According to the report Bitcoin mining Annual electricity consumption of the network 138 Terawatt-Saat. This corresponds to about 0.5 percent of global electricity consumption. Greenhouse gas emissions were determined as equivalent of 39.8 megaton CO2. Despite the 24 percent annual improvement in hardware efficiency, energy consumption is still the biggest expense item in the sector.
Electricity accounts for more than 80 percent of miners’ total costs. The companies participating in the survey reported that they paid an average of 45 dollars/MWh for electricity and 55.50 dollars/MWh within the scope of total operational costs. It was also emphasized that they contributed to electricity demand management by cutting the 888 GWh load on the network in 2023.
Crypto Money Mining Companies86.9 percent of the use of the equipment that remains out -of -use, reuse or recycle. It is estimated that 2.3 kilotons of electronic waste from mining origin in 2024 were produced. On the other hand, some companies turn into artificial intelligence and high -performance informatics (HPC) areas and activate income diversification strategies.
CCAF researchers say that the environmental impact of mining has been handled with speculative assessments for years due to lack of data. Led by research Alexander neumeller “Now we move directly with data obtained from sector professionals,” he said. However, he added that more research is needed in titles such as methane reduction, heat recovery and employment creation.
Tesla’s return to Bitcoin payments is still unclear
Bitcoin’s environmental impactDiscussions on the sine are not limited to academic circles. Tesla CEO in 2021 Elon MuskBitcoin announced that he began to look hot and his company came up with a BTC purchase of $ 1.5 billion. Even TeslaIn the US online store in the USA was preparing to accept BTC for payments in vehicle sales.
However, only two months later, Musk announced that Bitcoin payments were suspended, citing environmental concerns. Pointing out the weight of high emission energy resources such as coal in mining, Musk, when it exceeds 50 percent of the clean energy usage rate Bitcoin He underlined that they will receive their payments again.
At the point reached today, Tesla is still worth $ 1.1 billion 11 thousand 509 units BTC continues to hold. Musk has been quiet about Bitcoin for a long time. Although he used the phrase “Bitcoin has a value ında in a Podcast in January, he did not make a concrete statement on whether Bitcoin payments would be offered in vehicle sales. This silence shows that the company’s strategy is not yet clear.
Responsibility Rejection: The information contained in this article does not contain investment advice. Investors should be aware that crypto currencies carry high volatility and thus risk and carry out their operations in line with their own research.
