BT Daily News: Constant Blackouts Have Ruined Cryptocurrency Mining Investments in Cuba
Cryptocurrency Mining in Cuba Not Feasible Under Current Conditions
Cryptocurrency has reached a notable level of functionality in Cuba, as citizens use it as an alternative to getting services that they would be unable to get otherwise, including international shopping, mobile and internet top-up services, and even sending and receiving remittances. However, cryptocurrency mining is facing problems to reach the same level of popularity.While crypto mining was once considered a smart investment by Cubans, this idea has been demolished by the current state of the Cuban power grid, which puts mining operations in jeopardy due to the constant blackouts the country is facing. Raydel González, a small cryptocurrency miner that built his own rig, explained to the local news site Cubanet the difficulties that a miner faces in the country today.
Other miners like Eduardo Gomez purchased power plants in order to keep their operations ongoing, but the scarcity of gas has also made it difficult for these operations that run on off-grid power to be sustainable. Gonez explained that he is still unable to bring revenue from an investment of $5,000.
But even miners that have managed to run their operations off-grid having secured a constant flow of gas to ruin their plants are being affected by the issue. This is because these blackouts are also affecting the local telecom grid, which cannot be operated with the limited plants that Etectsa, the local Cuban Telecom company leverages.
Arkansas US state deal with crypto miners
Arkansas has long been hospitable to crypto mining companies due to its relatively low power and land prices. Entergy Corporation, an integrated energy company, delivering electricity to 3 million customers in the US states deep south, is offering these firms special tariffs.According to Brandi Hinkle from Entergy, the charge will range from three-quarters of a penny to a penny per kilowatt hour. In addition to the charge, demand charges will apply to the miners and bills to pay riders for energy cost recovery and efficiency.
Entergy would take up the role of shortlisting candidates for the tariff. Eligible companies would require high power density and load per square foot of operation and possibly erratic peaks and valleys in load demand. They would also factor in companies affected by the price of Bitcoin, indicating their willingness to support their industry.
The tariff would exclude data mining companies that usually had the same characteristics but with little inherent risk. Hinkle also warned that companies should ensure proper measures to protect customers from the inherent risk of cryptocurrency mining.
In an interview with Arkansas Business, Frederick Huang, lead at GMI computing, shared that miners were not affected by the recent mishaps in the crypto industry. He noted that miners stored their cryptocurrencies in cold wallets. He added that miners’ concerns encompassed rising power costs, Bitcoin’s poor performance, and threats to power disruption.
How Videogames Are Being Used To Mine Cryptocurrencies by Gamers
How can gamers start mining cryptocurrency?A lot of gamers are considering and venturing into crypto-mining as it’s a more popular option amongst them when sourcing for gigs. Gamers could quickly suffer loss if the worth of their crypto-coins decreases massively, therefore it can be a risky endeavor given how fickle the price of cryptocurrencies is. Crypto-mining can also severely shorten the longevity of a gaming system’s hardware because it consumes a significant amount of energy and can lead to component overheating and early component wear.
The potential risk
Crypto-mining is growing in popularity among gamers despite these dangers. Gamers may now participate in the process more easily thanks to the creation of graphics cards for crypto-mining by companies like AMD and Nvidia. Additionally, some publishers of video games are adding cryptocurrency mining into their titles, enabling players to mine coins as they play.
The battle between gamers and cryptocurrency miners
The battle for supplies and hardware needed to mine bitcoins is among crypto miners and gamers. Strong GPUs and other gear are sought after by cryptocurrency miners to mine bitcoin, whilst gamers require the very same equipment for their gaming setups.
Because of the heated competition for hardware, costs have gone up, making it challenging for gamers to find the parts they require at a fair price. Additionally, the rise in crypto miners has led to a lack of GPUs on the market, leaving it even more challenging for gamers to obtain the equipment they want.
Even though some have said that this war would finally end, no conclusive solution is in sight. Because of this, if gamers and cryptocurrency miners wish to continue their separate interests, they must figure out how to coexist.
How cryptocurrency could be used to support gamers
There are various mediums through which gamers can make a living off of cryptocurrencies. The most largely used medium is to broadcast their gameplay on platforms which include Mixer, Twitch, and YouTube. This makes it possible for users to pay the streamer with cryptocurrency.
Gamers may also be rewarded with cryptocurrency or cash by simply engaging in tournaments and contests.
Last but not least, players may also earn cryptocurrencies via gaming portals and apps that give prizes for finishing particular tasks or playing particular games. The cryptocurrency is kept in exchanges for later trading on Bitsoft 360 with additional perks, which generates enormous profit.
How crypto mining Games work
In crypto miner games, gamers purchase digital mining rigs that mine for virtual money, usually in the manner of a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. The rigs are typically represented by graphical pictures, and the user can use virtual currency to modify and personalize their rigs.
The player gains more coins as the rigs mine, which they can use to enhance their rigs or buy more equipment. The user can acquire more currencies and boost their income by improving the performance of their rigs.