This indoor garden is heated by something totally unexpected: bitcoin mining. When software company owner Bruce Hardy saw how much heat his computers were generating, he decided to put that extra energy to good use. Now, instead of using air conditioning to cool his computers, he channels the heat they generate to power and heat a thriving aquaponics system and greenhouse.
The system works by using the heat generated by 30 computers as they work to mine bitcoin. That heat keeps hundreds of Arctic Char warm on the first floor of the Manitoba building, where nitrate-rich water is used to feed plants growing on the second floor. “It’s all connected, much like Earth,” Hardy told CBC Manitoba.
Hardy’s company operates with the goal of creating sustainable food systems. The revenue that he has generated mining bitcoin has helped him grow his business, which he hopes will allow him to spread the concept around the globe. Investors in China and Australia are taking notice. He said, “If we can take our energy and use it here in Manitoba, we value-add that energy, and we can do all sorts of great things”.
Bitcoin mining powers Canadian man’s innovative aquaponic garden [Inhabitat]