Troy Cross joins us to discuss the Bitcoin and energy narrative and discuss his research on incentive offsets for renewable Bitcoin mining.
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 PhD 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 from this Episode:
[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
Other Relevant Resources: