> However, the CCAF’s report specifies that the 76% refers to the share of hashers who use renewable energy at any point. It estimates that only 39% of hashing’s total energy consumption comes from renewables.
> Behind hydroelectricity, coal (38%) and natural gas (36%) are the energy sources hashers favour most.
@s1artibartfast, then it comes down to, who decides what's considered useful? In many ways, the market does, right? If it was useless trash, it wouldn't have any value, but that's clearly not the case.
I think that is the fundamental disagreement. Many people do not view bitcoin as doing anything useful. If it is useful, how does it compare to other solutions for the same problems.
I think most of that is hydro-power or geothermal energy, as in some situation, these produce excess energy locally at times.
This is not the same as "renewable" energy, it's locally bound opportunistic energy. Hydro- and geothermal power is limited and almost exhausted already. These power sources are not chosen because they are ecologically neutral, but because mining is portable and can opportunistically use temporary cheap sources, like hydro-electrical dams build before the intended consumers arrived. Nothing in Bitcoin inherently favors sustainable energy sources, over cheap supply. In the coming years, we will have to bite the bullet and chose very expensive endeavors over what the market suggests. Bitcoin doesn't fit this future. It's suggested "value" is nothing compared to humanity's survival.
The issue is that energy is largely fungible, at least when limited in space and time. Occasionally renewables are over-produced and can't be transmitted elsewhere, but often every kWh of green energy wasted on bitcoin mining is a kWh of non-renewable energy that has to be created to meet other demands.
edit: 39% of it, as in a lot of it and that number should go up as the world is phasing out dirty energy for cleaner energy sources.