Can Bitcoin catalyze the transition to renewable energy?
Troy Cross joins us in this episode to discuss. Troy is a fellow at the Bitcoin Policy Institute. He holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy and is a professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Reed College. He has been involved in Bitcoin for over a decade, most prominently working around the question of Bitcoin mining’s present and future environmental impact.
Notable Moments:
[1:15] Soluna recently published a white paper covering curtailment (wasted energy) and the potential solution in batchable computing, including Bitcoin mining.
[2:10] Introduction to Troy Cross, his introduction to Bitcoin, and his background in Philosophy
[19:32] The role of the Bitcoin Policy Institute in the industry at large
[21:47] Troy Cross and Margot Paez (who was on Clean Integration earlier this year) co-authored a 10-page commentary to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on Bitcoin’s climate impact. Soluna also responded to a Request for Information from the OSTP on digital assets.
[24:25] To dispel the Bitcoin Energy FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt), we must first understand Bitcoin’s socioeconomic value.
[28:15] These are some of the most common misconceptions about Bitcoin’s energy consumption
[33:20] What does the future of Bitcoin mining look like?
[42:20] John answers Troy’s question: “How can adding load to the energy grid aid decarbonization?”
[45:00] Troy asks John, “What about miners keeping fossil fuel plants in business?”
[51:01] A discussion on “Greening Bitcoin with Incentive Offsets,” a paper by Troy Cross and Andrew Bailey
[01:01:05] Possible incentives for clean energy crypto miners and for Bitcoin holders
