Bitcoin mining and landfills might have more in common than it seems. A new partnership aims to prove how methane emissions from waste landfills can be turned into Bitcoin.
What’s happening:
- Marathon Digital (NASDAQ: MARA) has entered into a new partnership with Nodal Power to turn waste landfill emissions into renewable power for Bitcoin mining
- The pilot project is already operational in Utah and will aim to successfully validate the approach before scaling up
How it works:
- Waste landfills emit methane gas that can be captured on site and converted into clean, renewable energy that can be used to power Bitcoin mining operations
- Through Nodal Power’s compression and filtration system, the methane gas is converted into electricity that can power purpose built data centres that are built on site
Why it matters:
- Turning harmful methane gas emissions into renewable energy is a enormous benefit to the climate and could unlock a whole new opportunity for Bitcoin mining
Going deeper:
- Marathon Digital says this is one of many new projects they are embarking on that look to find innovative ways to use renewable energy to mine Bitcoin
By the numbers:
- Methane gas is 80x more harmful for the environment than carbon dioxide for 20 years after it is released into the atmosphere
