Kumamoto-Energy to use solar power excesses to mine Bitcoin

The solar power facilities of the Japanese Kumamoto-Energy sometimes generate excess power which is now planned to use as a source of Bitcoin mining, the media found out.

Almost the same excess power mining initiative has repeatedly been proposed by some Russian officials in the past. In that case, energy plants are not solar, but they generate vast amounts of excess power due to the current absence of consumers - military bases and industrial facilities which became obsolete and non-beneficial to keep in working condition after the Soviet Union and the socialist economy planning collapsed.

The excess power mining might become a theme of wider discussion once the authorities of various states and vast companies’ managers realize the economic potential of this endeavor. Companies will additionally have a marketing advantage if their excess power source is renewable, as in this example from Japan.

One of the recent research materials contains an interesting conclusion: even the classic Bitcoin mining without solar plants involved still has less power demands than the mining of gold.

Image courtesy of Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty Images