Among the most frequent objections to the growing spread of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin is the one concerning environmental impact. The process of producing the new currency, known as "mining", requires large quantities of electrical energy. According to data provided by Digicomist, the global energy consumption caused by mining exceeds the average annual consumption of 159 nations. In order not to waste the enormous amount of heat generated by the computers used to mine Bitcoin, Canadian entrepreneur Bruce Hardy reportedly decided to use it to create the right conditions for growing plants and raising fish.

Recycling energy

Hardy is president of Myera Group, a company founded with the aim of developing sustainable food production systems using technology. He also owns a software company that has been engaged in Bitcoin mining for around two years, and so he decided to combine the two activities to optimise their potential. The heat produced by the thirty mining rigs — the devices used for Bitcoin mining — is capable of powering an indoor cultivation and aquaculture system.

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From Bitcoin to basil

In the building where the mining process takes place, the second floor houses crops of basil and lettuce, while the first floor is home to around eight hundred Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus), a fish belonging to the family Salmonidae, similar to trout. A pumping system transfers the water containing the fish waste to the second floor to fertilise the vegetables, which are in turn warmed by the heat emitted by the hardware.

Artificial ecosystem

Just as there is no waste in nature, Hardy's building in the Canadian province of Manitoba seeks to emulate an ecosystem by generating a closed, virtuous cycle. "Everything is connected, a bit like on Earth," the entrepreneur explained in an interview with CBC. "We are working towards innovation in agriculture — if we can use the energy we generate here, we add value to that energy, and we'll be able to do great things."

A boost to the local economy

The Canadian entrepreneur believes that hydroelectric power — which is produced in large quantities at competitive prices in Manitoba and represents one of its principal assets — could be used to power projects similar to his own rather than being exported to the United States. In this way, international companies engaged in Bitcoin mining could be attracted to the region, and the local economy could benefit as a result.