Оффлайн
- Регистрация
- 9 Май 2015
- Сообщения
- 1,480
- Баллы
- 155
The Problem: Wasted Energy
Nepal produces more electricity than it can use during certain hours of the day. Around 1,000 megawatts (MW) of hydropower is wasted daily because transmission lines, storage, and distribution systems are not strong enough.
During peak hours, about 500 MW is spilled.
During off-peak hours, wastage jumps to 1,400 MW.
In 2020 alone, 18 private hydropower plants lost 95.61 gigawatt-hours of energy due to inefficiency.
This unused energy is a lost opportunity for both the economy and the people.
⸻
The Inspiration: Bhutan’s Secret
Neighboring Bhutan quietly started mining Bitcoin in 2019. The government, through its state-owned company, used surplus hydropower to run powerful computers that solve cryptographic puzzles. In return, Bhutan earned hundreds of Bitcoins, valued at tens of millions of dollars today.
This model is simple:
- Take unused green electricity.
- Run computers (called ASIC miners) to secure blockchain networks.
- Earn cryptocurrency as a reward.
- Convert earnings into foreign reserves.
⸻
Nepal’s Potential
If Nepal used its 1,000 MW of wasted hydropower:
- It could mine around 10,000–12,000 Bitcoins every year.
- At today’s Bitcoin price (~$116,000), this equals $1.2–1.4 billion in annual revenue.
- Even after electricity and operating costs, Nepal could still profit by $800–900 million annually.
That’s more than the earnings of many of Nepal’s exports combined.
⸻
Technology Needed
- ASIC Miners: Special-purpose machines like Antminer S21 (for Bitcoin), KS5 Pro (for Kaspa), or L7 (for Litecoin/Dogecoin).
- Infrastructure: Data centers, cooling systems, and transmission upgrades.
- Investment: $5.7–6.6 billion in hardware and facilities.
The payback period would be around 6–7 years—after which, Nepal enjoys near-pure profit.
⸻
Benefits Beyond Profit
Foreign Reserves: Strengthen Nepal’s economy with a steady inflow of digital currency.
Green Branding: Market Nepal as a hub for “clean mining” powered entirely by hydropower.
Technology Development: Create jobs in data centers, blockchain, and AI.
Diversification: Infrastructure can also be used for AI training and cloud services, not just crypto.
⸻
Risks & Challenges
Regulation: Nepal currently bans crypto trading, but a state-backed model (like Bhutan) is possible.
Volatility: Crypto prices can rise or fall quickly.
Hardware: Machines become outdated and must be replaced.
Perception: Mining has a bad reputation globally unless powered by green energy.
⸻
The Road Ahead
Pilot Project: Start with 100 MW to test systems.
Expansion: Grow to 500 MW within 3 years.
Full-Scale: Use 1,000+ MW in 6 years.
Diversify: Expand into high-performance computing (AI, cloud services).
⸻
Conclusion
Nepal has a unique chance to copy Bhutan’s playbook—but at a much larger scale. By turning wasted hydropower into digital gold, Nepal can add billions to its economy, create jobs, and become a global leader in green crypto mining.