One of the most appealing sides of cryptocurrencies is the option to acquire them for free. Unlike any other currency, you can get Bitcoins and other altcoins through the process of “mining”. In the beginning, crypto-mining was the primary way of acquiring any cryptocurrency. But now, the majority of people get them through crypto exchanges.
Don’t get us wrong; mining has never been more popular. However, because the return on investment (ROI) has gotten a lot smaller, small-scale mining has become obsolete. This is mainly because electricity consumption has increased, and the amount that one rig can mine has decreased. Today, massive crypto-mining networks do most of the mining.
These facilities take up huge spaces, mostly in abandoned factories. Additionally, they suck up so much power that some estimates say that crypto-mining has surpassed 159 countries when it comes to the energy consumption. Some of the countries on the list include – Belgium, Finland, Switzerland, New Zealand, and many other ones. Even though the use is relatively low when compared to biggest nations like the USA and China, it’s still alarming, especially when you consider that crypto has been around for less than a decade.
If you are interested in reading more fascinating stats about the energy consumption of crypto-mining as well as what is the solution, check out this BTXchange.io infographic. Enjoy.
