Tesla teamed up with Block (formerly Square) by Jack Dorsey and infrastructure company Blockstream to build a bitcoin mining data center. It is reported by CNBC.

A $12 million pilot project will be launched in the state of Texas (Block and Blockstream each invested $6 million). The facility will install a 3.8 MW photovoltaic solar array from Tesla and a 12 MWh Megapack energy storage device. Hash rate will be 30 PH/s.

Blockstream co-founder Adam Back told CNBC that the new venture is designed as a proof of concept to mine 100% renewable energy for the first cryptocurrency.

“People like to argue about the various factors involved in bitcoin mining. We decided – let’s prove it,” Beck said.

The overall dashboard will display project performance metrics in real time, including power output and total BTC mined. A later release will add solar and storage performance data.

“This is a step towards validating our thesis that bitcoin mining can finance a zero-emissions energy infrastructure and drive economic growth in the future,” said the Blockstream co-founder.

According to him, the construction of the enterprise will be completed by the end of 2022. If the project turns out to be profitable in test mode, partners will add and scale wind power, Back added.

In February 2021, Tesla announced a $1.5 billion investment in bitcoin. In March, the company began accepting digital gold payment for electric cars. However, less than two months later, he reversed his decision, citing his concerns about the environmental friendliness of mining.

Already in June, Elon Musk described the transition of at least half of bitcoin miners to renewable energy as a condition for option renewal.

At the end of February 2022, Tesla board member Kimbal Musk said that when deciding to buy bitcoin, he had no idea about the company’s impact on the environment.

Recall that in April, an intergovernmental group of experts on climate change under the auspices of the UN mentioned cryptocurrencies as one of the risk factors for the environment.