Even though, there are still essential flaws in my idea of using crypto as power bank, I went on with the idea into testing phase.
I order to understand what I am doing please go to my two previous posts 1 and 2.
I could not lay my hands on bitaxe gamma 601 device in price I would be willing to pay, so that as a Christmas present for myself I got myself a Lucky Miner LV07. I paid 470 PLN (~$116) with shipping on AliExpress
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_ExRWGFA
The device came really quickly. The installation process is idiot-proof and if you have any experience with bitcoin mining it would take you minutes to run it. As far as I can tell now, the product description matches the reality and you get 1 TH/s of computing power at 25-26W.
As I mentioned earlier, I'm not into lotteries (as for now at least, this attitude may change if I aquired more computing power to have bigger chances of closing the block) and I immediately harnessed Lucky Miner to stratum Braiins pool (formerly know to old timers as 'slush').
As if you have probably already noticed, I will never become even with this income. Unfortunately, it was already taken into account, as the whole idea lies within two scenarios that follow.
Winter
During winter months, it will use up electricity, but will get some warmth in return plus some bitcoin. As of now I am not connected to grid so it would be quite expensive to heat a building with devices with COP around 1 (heatpumps tend to have COP around 2-3,so they are 2 or 3 times more effective). Currently I have a air heater installed next to my batteries to prevent them from freezing and thus taken damage to their capacity. I plan to replace it with my new Lucky Miner. It would take far less energy than the heater, but it will work 24/7 which would mean it would be less likely for the temperature to drop below 0C inside the box with batteries in garage. That's why I bought cheap device that would use little energy.
Summer
in summer months, when there will be overproduction of electricity, it would use electricity that would go to waste if it hadn't been for autoconsumption. If I were connected to the grid, Bitcoin mining would help decrease electric installation voltage helping me to continue PV production (prevent shutting it down); what is more, I plan to introduce automation to the electric installation, that when the voltage rises, it turns on AC to decrease grid's load; so I get another X Watts of consumption power prevention against installation shut down and some Bitcoins to pay for electricity during winter months.
These problems are typical for Poland, however using Bitcoin mining to heat or mining Bitcoin with excessive energy is already a thing:
- https://time.com/7017395/bitcoin-data-center-heat-bathhouses/
- https://www.coindesk.com/business/2023/11/02/bitcoin-miner-marathon-tests-btc-mining-with-methane-gas-from-waste-landfill
Join me in my journey. I'm more than open to advice from more experienced miners.