In Guatemala, a Bitcoin project has improved air quality, contributed to carbon-negative Bitcoin mining, and placed a Bitcoin miner in the hands of the mayor.
The Bitcoin (BTC) community is at it again, deconstructing fear mongering and orange-pilling politicians in far-flung locales. A Bitcoin effort has managed to get a miner into the hands of the local mayor at the foot of Lake Atitlán, a scenic but destitute district of Guatemala. Local earnings have increased as a result of the process, which has also improved air quality. After the local mayor, Cesar Piedrasanta, was donated an outdated S9 Bitcoin miner, a community of approximately 20,000 people in Panajachel, Guatemala is warming up to Bitcoin. It is the first municipality to mine BTC in Central or South America.
While this is remarkable in and of itself, it has two crucial ramifications. To begin with, mining with a “5-year old” miner helps to “address the electronic waste (or ‘e-waste’) narrative associated with bitcoin mining,” according to Bill Whittaker, a member of the Bitcoin Lake team. E-waste is the term used to describe the replacement of older, inefficient mining infrastructure with newer, more efficient forms. A recent New York mining prohibition addressed the reported issue, and according to Science Direct, one Bitcoin transaction generates 272 kilos of e-waste due to primarily obsolete mining equipment. The Guatemalan Mayor, on the other hand, is doing just fine with his old S9.
Second, the team intends to tackle difficulties impacting the wastewater treatment plant with the proceeds from the Bitcoin miner.
The waste treatment plant (WWTP) is a major polluter because “there is not enough pressure to flare the facility’s methane emissions due to fractured seals positioned on top of the plant’s digester.” As a result, the air is contaminated with unpleasant and odorous contaminants. Whittaker and his colleagues plan to fix the WWTP and then catch the biogas that used to leak so that it may be used as a source of electricity. Cleaner air, greener energy, and more Bitcoin: it’s a win-win-win situation.
3/
– Re-flaring of the WWTP's methane byproduct will not only improve air quality, but will allow for a controlled capture and analysis of the plant's biogas production.– Use Panajachel's WWTPs biogas to produce electricity and power additional Bitcoin miners. pic.twitter.com/CV9CWF6LYW
— WildBTC (@BillWhittaker11) March 28, 2022
“Poorer countries/municipalities do not have the resources to generate pricey fossil-fuel electricity, but they do produce enough of methane-producing garbage,” writes Whittaker. Not only can this garbage mine Bitcoin, but it can also create a monetary return for the locals:
“The purpose of this proof-of-concept is to capture wasted gasoline and convert it to electricity/bitcoin.”
Biogas is becoming more common as a power source for Bitcoin mining: a Slovakian Bitcoin miner is putting trash to work, while the Guatemalan initiative is only getting started. Whittaker is eager to emphasise the project’s “true stars of the show,” two high school seniors named Madaket and Kate. “For their high school senior project, they came up with the notion of focusing on sustainable bitcoin mining.”
They explain how Bitcoin is “the future currency” in an Instagram video. The girls are clearly determined to dispel the bad stereotypes surrounding Bitcoin and Bitcoin mining. “They will present the community of Panajachel with two extra ASIC machines (s17+),” Whittaker explains. At the waste treatment plant, these equipment will be turned on.”
When it comes to small-scale Bitcoin mining, capturing cheap wasted energy is the name of the game. Senator Ted Cruz agrees that Bitcoin miners do a fantastic job of capturing unused resources and putting them to good use. Projects like mining in Panajachel, according to Whittaker, demonstrate the power of grassroots Bitcoin movements:
“While Greenpeace and Chris Larsen spend $5 million on ‘change the code’ FUD, these two ladies are self-funding carbon-negative bitcoin mining research and development, while simultaneously strengthening and expanding the decentralised network.”
Disclaimer: These are the writer’s opinions and should not be considered investment advice. Readers should do their own research.
