An eccentric farmer from Britain has been using the cow dung from his cattle to power a cryptomining farm on the side. He uses the energy produced from biogas to not only power his own but the systems of interested third parties as well. Each rig is fitted with top-of-the-line graphics cards with a total price of £18,000 and is used to mine Ethereum which has been the most profitable cryptocurrency for a while now.
The rigs are connected to the digester (s**t digester, quite literally) which produces electricity from the feces of his cows during the decomposition process. The decomposition results in the formation of methane gas which drives the turbines to generate electricity. A third of the electricity produced is used to power the mining farm while the rest goes to his cattle farm and surrounding campsite in the Welsh countryside.
The farmer, Philip Hughes has been trying to convince his friends and associates to work on similar schemes, but the uncertainty surrounding cryptocurrencies has kept most away from the experiment. Out of the British Hydropower Association’s 290 members, the association’s CEO Simon Hamlyn knows of just two who are trying out cryptomining. One has purchased a number of rigs to install at sites in Northern Ireland. The other, however, fell victim to a heist, when masked thieves crossed fields to break into the powerhouse and steal the rigs.
