- The network depends on thousands of miners using energy-intensive equipment.
- On an average day, the bitcoin network handles 240,000 transactions.
As the Bitcoin network expands, so does the amount of energy it consumes. In response to the rising worldwide demand for bitcoin miners to utilize more renewable energy, organizations like the Bitcoin Mining Council and “greener” cryptocurrencies have been established.
As per data from last year, when it comes to a single bitcoin transaction, a 1719.51 kWh is roughly the amount of energy that is used and is the same as a 1,000-watt appliance consumes in over an hour. To put it in context, a typical American home uses that much electricity in 59 days. So on an average day, the bitcoin network handles 240,000 transactions.
In order to validate and add transactions to the Bitcoin blockchain, the network depends on thousands of miners using energy-intensive equipment around the clock. “Proof-of-work” is the name given to this system.
Rapid Expansion and Competition
When there are a lot of miners on the network, the amount of energy they use increases. In order to receive incentives and fight for the chance to add the next block to the blockchain, these miners must compete with one another. A great deal of energy is lost because only one miner may add a new block every ten minutes due to the competitive structure.
Many more significant mining enterprises are compelled to expand or improve their equipment to stay ahead of the competition. In the wake of this, there are now a slew of mining operations throughout the globe that are continually operating hundreds or even thousands of machines.
Heat is a byproduct of these large-scale industrial activities. For example, when mining cryptocurrencies using ASICs, the most common specialized computer equipment, they generate heat. As a result, they need to be cooled down to prevent them from becoming less efficient or bursting into flames.
