The city of Ephrata, Washington, will halt new crypto mining developments in the city for the next 12 months, Eastern Washington and North Idaho daily newspaper The Spokesman Review reports Friday, Oct. 19. The recently announced suspension will only affect new crypto operations from being established in Ephrata, while the existing four businesses already there will continue operating. According to Ephrata city administrator Wes Crago, those four crypto operations — including two at the Port of Ephrata, one in an industrial area of the city, as well as one in a residential area — are being relocated at the moment. …

Bitcoin (BTC) miner revenues for the first six months of 2018 have already surpassed results in 2017, but the miners themselves see little profit, weekly crypto outlet Diar reports Monday, October 8. As per the Diar report, the rewards and fees for BTC miners have already reached $4.7 billion in the first three quarters of 2018, around $1.4 billion more than the profits in all of 2017. Miners still gain 54,000 Bitcoin monthly, the outlet continues. However, mining is gradually becoming profitable only for “big guns” as electricity prices are constantly increasing. Diar assessments show that the miners paying retail …

It's no secret that Bitcoin (BTC) mining is an expensive business, and in more ways than one. Not only has it become less profitable since July 2016's halving of mining rewards to 12.5 BTC, but competition among miners and an increasing hashrate have resulted in ever-higher energy consumption, with all the damage to the environment that implies. Yet, as energy-intensive as Bitcoin mining is, a question still remains: Is there a seasonal variation in the cryptocurrency's energy consumption? Even if consumption is rising on the whole, does something different happen during the summer months? Well, data hasn't been collected on …

A clean energy expert has hit back against the common perception that high energy consumption is an “Achilles Heel” for Bitcoin (BTC), in an article published by The Conversation August 20. Katrina Kelly, Strategy Manager at the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Energy, says that we need to shift the debate around Bitcoin mining away from energy-intensivity and towards where that energy is produced and how it is generated: “By talking specifically about ... the consumption of energy alone..many fail to understand one of the most basic benefits of renewable energy systems. Electricity production can increase while still maintaining a …

Canada-based DMG Blockchain Solutions has launched the installation of an 85-megawatt substation for crypto mining expansion, according to an official statement July 26. The DMG crypto mining operation will be implemented on an industrial scale with direct support from the local government and electricity providers. DMG Blockchain Solutions is a multi-sector crypto and blockchain firm that manages and provides Bitcoin mining and hosting in addition to blockchain platform development. The flagship mining facility is set to become fully operational in September 2018 with 60 megawatts available for energizing mining rigs, and will reportedly be one the largest mining facilities in …

William Shatner, the former fictional Captain Kirk from Star Trek, is the spokesperson for a new solar-powered cryptocurrency mining facility, according to a press release published yesterday, June 13. The recently acquired mining warehouse, located in Murphysboro, Illinois, covers 165,000 square feet and was purchased for a “nominal cost” by Solar Alliance Energy as part of a green energy jobs initiative for the town of Murphysboro. Solar Alliance has also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a solar panel manufacturer for developing the equipment for solar-powered crypto mining operations. Shatner, arguably now just as well known in popular culture …

Bitcoin (BTC) has recently “died” for the 300th time, according to 99Bitcoins Bitcoin obituary list. The cryptocurrency faced its “most recent death” in the latest “obituary” provided by Forbes. Bitcoin celebrates its 300th death anniversary following an article from Forbes published May 30. The article claims that Bitcoin’s “Achilles Heel” is the huge amount of electricity required by crypto mining operations. According to Forbes, Bitcoin miners underestimate the risks associated with energy consumption on the global scale. The report also stresses such issues as power theft and the cost of mining equipment that is becoming more and more expensive: “Predictably, …

Chinese internet giant Baidu has announced the next step in its blockchain integration in the form of a protocol aimed at reducing mining energy consumption, according to a report by China News Weekly today, June 3. Dubbed ‘Super Chain,’ chief scientist at Baidu’s blockchain division Xiao Wei revealed the protocol at a local conference over the weekend. The move forms the latest in a series of increasingly direct experiments with cryptocurrency for Baidu, which launched its Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS) solution in January this year. Super Chain can “insert and remove consensus mechanisms to solve the current energy consumption problem,” Wei explained, …

Employees of the local headquarters of the National Police in Rivne, Ukraine have been mining cryptocurrency at work, local news outlet 368.media reports today, May 22. Citing materials from criminal proceedings, 368.media reports that employees of the local Police’s Communications Department have been accused of stealing electricity to mine cryptocurrency in the workplace. The unnamed employees were allegedly mining cryptocurrency at work for four months. 368.Media notes that it is yet unclear how much electricity was reportedly stolen or what kind of cryptocurrency was being mined. 368.Media writes that employees at the National Police’s Department for Internal Security found cryptocurrency …

ASICSPACE, a rackspace provider for hosted Bitcoin mining, has announced the building of a new collocation center in Wenatchee, Washington. As Bitcoin mining hardware becomes more sophisticated, miners seek more cost-efficient ways to store and power their equipment. Understanding the drive to decrease costs and maximize returns, ASICSPACE has announced that their new colocation (“colo”) center will enable miners to pay for storage and power to their machines. Wenatchee's price of electricity plummets to below 3 cents/kwh, a full 8 cents/kwh below the national average. Wenatchee’s climate also plays a role in its desirability. “We started out hosting GPU miners …