Bitcoin (BTC) miner Marathon Digital wants to mine the top digital asset powered with landfill methane gas, according to a Nov. 2 statement.
The mining operation revealed that it has partnered with Nodal Power, an expert renewable energy asset manager, who will provide methane gas that will be used to power a 280 kW Bitcoin mining pilot in Utah.
Marathon’s innovative project aims to convert methane emissions from landfills into electricity that would be used to power its BTC mining operations. This initiative reduces greenhouse gas emissions by utilizing renewable and off-grid energy sources for mining operations.
Recent findings from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed that municipal waste emissions were responsible for 14.3% of all methane emissions in the U.S. in 2021. According to the EPA, this represents a missed opportunity to harness and utilize a valuable energy resource.
Furthermore, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) emphasized that methane is 80 times more potent greenhouse gas than Carbon.
Fred Thiel, Marathon’s CEO, said the plan is a forward-looking strategy to cut mining costs. He added that methane would help the company diversify its operations, lower energy expenses, and allow Bitcoin mining to make a positive environmental impact.
“The methane naturally produced from landfills, biowaste, and elsewhere is often stranded, and Bitcoin miners like Marathon are uniquely positioned to help convert this harmful gas into a productive source of clean, renewable energy.”
Thiel further suggested that Marathon could expand its frontiers to other environmentally friendly initiatives if this project proves successful.
Bitcoin energy use
Bitcoin mining energy consumption has attracted significant interest and scrutiny from observers, with skeptics often using it as a cudgel in their criticisms of the crypto industry.
However, CryptoSlate Insight reported that over half of the energy resources used in BTC mining are from sustainable sources, outperforming all other sectors like banking.
This corroborates a Bitcoin Mining Council (BMC) report from earlier in the year, which stated that 63% of its member’s energy usage comes from sustainable sources.