The story differs for each country. Bitcoin mining is booming in Africa, while it is persecuted in Europe, Asia, and the United States. And it has good arguments for it to be so.

Africa is interested in Bitcoin. If there is one feature of Bitcoin, it is that it does not distinguish where it is mined. And for many African countries, this mining is a source of income. Africa has many conditions that make this practice very favourable, and this has caused a boom in Africa as interest dwindles around the world.

According to Google Trends data, the countries most interested in Bitcoin mining are Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Cameroon and Ethiopia. Africa’s role remains small as its contribution is less than 1%, but that doesn’t stop it from continuing to be interesting to locals.

They have what is most needed: clean energy sources. The biggest problem with Bitcoin is the enormous energy needed leading to an alarming environmental disaster. However, many parts of Africa have abundant clean and cheap energy.

On the one hand, we have enormous potential in solar energy. Africa is the continent with the most solar capacity, but it is completely underdeveloped. However, it is not this energy that bitcoin miners use.

Hydroelectric energy potential. It is the main clean energy source in the region and Africa has not even come close to its potential. Africa has a capacity of just 38 gigawatts today, with a potential of 474 gigawatts. The world’s greatest untapped potential. By comparison, Europe has a potential of 73 GW.

“Africa’s hydropower potential exceeds the continent’s current and medium-term demand,” explains the International Hydropower Association. It is precisely this cheap energy that fits so well with Bitcoin mining.

The vibrant crypto ecosystem in Africa. Even the United Nations pointed out that Africa is the next hurdle for the crypto world. That was in 2018, and since then, despite the decline in the value of cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin has continued to move forward.

The Central African Republic has adopted Bitcoin as its legal currency, Kenya is one of the countries with more crypto per capita in the world, and we have very serious projects to train crypto-specialized developers like Qala.

No grill. This African startup has raised $2 million to power Bitcoin mining in Africa via hydroelectric power. Recently, Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter, visited one of the rural farms they used to mine the surplus of this energy.

Powering a rural Kenyan village and #Bitcoin More hydroelectric networks reduce rates to 2,000 people in all of these (500 families, ~$10/month to $4). 🇰🇪 @GridlessCompute pic.twitter.com/9GUlAU6265

Jack (@jack) December 9, 2022

The company explains that they act as a catalyst to increase the electrification of local communities. The electricity produced is first used for communities and businesses, then for storage, charging stations and public WiFi hotspots. Once these needs are met, the excess electricity is used to power the mining data center.

Initial investment. The key, as explained by Gridless, is that mining is dynamic so they can tailor the capacity to the needs of the community every moment. If there is more or less energy in that area.

The problem is the required initial investment. In a small town in Africa, it can be up to four times more expensive to buy electricity due to the lack of infrastructure.

Gridless’ proposal is to ensure that these small populations have the necessary infrastructure to take advantage of the enormous hydrological resources nearby. And meanwhile, take advantage of recovering investment by using excess energy for Bitcoin mining;

on Xataka | Bitcoin as an environmental disaster: whether it’s the biggest waste of energy in history depends on its future