Using DC to power Mines...

[HomeEcGuy]

Hello, I'm just learning about Bitcoin and how mining works. It seems that one of the biggest obstacles in mining bitcoin is the cost of power. My question is this, it seems that most bitcoin miners work on DC power, but almost always the power feeding them is AC and goes through a converter...There is tremendous power loss converting AC to DC, so I guess I'm asking how much energy could be saved by using a solar power/battery bank to power my mine vs using AC power which not only costs money per Kwh, but also costs money in power that is lost during conversion...Are there any examples out there of a bitcoin mine that uses strictly DC power and doesn't convert from AC??

[CryptAxe]

You would need a very large bank of batteries and solar panels to the point that the cost would most likely be higher than the lost energy from DC conversion. I bet that if you had hundreds of acres to do this, you would make more profit using solar and batteries to do DC only, but otherwise I think the overhead would eat your income.

[arnoudk]

There is tremendous power loss converting AC to DC, so I guess I'm asking how much energy could be saved by using a solar power/battery bank to power my mine vs using AC power which not only costs money per Kwh, but also costs money in power that is lost during conversion...Are there any examples out there of a bitcoin mine that uses strictly DC power and doesn't convert from AC??

There are quite efficient power supplies. I use Platinum rated PSUs which makes sense when powering high power devices such as ASICs. They are quite efficient. But not 100% of course.

As for solar powered miners - I guess it would work. Most ASICs run on 12V DC power sources. Your solar panels would, however, not supply exactly 12V - and I would not want this to fluctuate much at all. So you would need a DC to DC convertor. They are also not 100% efficient, I am not sure how they would compare to AC to DC convertors.

There is also the issue of reliability, what would a miner do if the available amperage changes? So you would need batteries, and smartly switching on and off the ASICs (or throtteling them).

And, 12V DC has more line loss than 120/240V AC. Thus for the same amount of power, you'll need much thicker wiring. Some ASIC miners cannot work on 120V because of line losses, imagine if you tried 12V.

You would have to add up all the inefficiencies.
For solar: DC (fluctuating) to AC -> line loss in AC circuits -> AC to 12V DC stable -> miner
Or
DC (fluctuating) -> line loss in DC circuit -> DC to 12V DC stable -> battery backup -> miner

I wouldnt know how to say with any certainty which is more efficient - but the AC components are more common and I expect cheaper.

[HomeEcGuy]

Thanks for the responses! The reason I ask, is because I don't plan on living in a place with reliable AC power and will have DC solar power along with batteries. Wasn't sure how much I'd need or if it'd be worth it...Guess I'll be doing some math Of course, I'll be in an RV or a bus and most campsites offer electric that isn't charged by how much you use. lol

[arnoudk]

Of course, I'll be in an RV or a bus and most campsites offer electric that isn't charged by how much you use. lol

I wonder how long that will last if people start using that 'included' electricity to mine bitcoin 24/7

[undeadcreature88]

Honestly I would go solar for a small farm. Using solar panels with batteries *should* produce stable enough voltage, since most electronic devices step the incoming 12v down to 5 and 3.3 volts to power the actual computer chips inside. If/when I get the money to buy some miners, I will be going solar since I have several pannels and wire laying around, I'll only have to invest in storage batteries. The bottom line is it ads a significant amount to your initial investment, but the energy savings will increase your bottom line, especially if you live where power is expensive

[Rmcdermott927]

Thanks for the responses! The reason I ask, is because I don't plan on living in a place with reliable AC power and will have DC solar power along with batteries. Wasn't sure how much I'd need or if it'd be worth it...Guess I'll be doing some math Of course, I'll be in an RV or a bus and most campsites offer electric that isn't charged by how much you use. lol

If you manage to get mining done with solar panels at a cost efficient rate, you will surely be the hero of many.

[Hhampuz]

As others are stating, you might be out a bit too early. As it may be a very nice idea on paper it can be hard or near impossible to realize it and make it cost efficient. However, we always need pioneers , if you do continue with this, I wish you good luck! Keep us posted on any progress.