Sustainability
The energy model is surplus renewable power, starting in the UK and continuing worldwide. We separate what we can say from what is still being assessed.
Hydro, wind and solar can be low-carbon ways to generate power, and surplus output is what a mining load can be matched to. A particular site still needs a connection, a contract, and permission to build.
Hydro is not impact-free. Reservoirs, transmission lines, and construction all have effects.
Heat is the main by-product of a mining hall. If the air outside is cold for much of the year, more of that heat can be rejected without mechanical chillers, and less electricity is spent on cooling. The work of mining still uses the power the machines draw. Cold air changes the overhead. It does not make the load small.
A lower cooling load is not the same thing as a measured carbon saving. We will not treat the weather as a carbon account.
Surplus renewable power means electricity from wind, solar, hydro or other renewable plant that the grid cannot use at the moment it is generated. The search starts with sites in the United Kingdom where that kind of supply, a connection, and planning permission can be put together.
The same test applies to sites elsewhere in the world. The locations page says where the search stands.
We will not describe the operation as 100% green, carbon neutral, or carbon negative unless that has been measured and can be shown. Construction, machine manufacture, and the electricity that is actually bought all sit in that account. Until the account exists, the honest statement is the one above: the design aims at renewable power and a cold climate, and several material facts are still open.
How the hall itself is put together is on the operation page.
For a general question, write to [email protected] or use the contact page.