Ben Gagnon (Bitfarms) on Separating Fact from Fiction in Bitcoin Mining (EP. 303)

Ben Gagnon, the Chief Mining Officer at Bitfarms, joins the show. In this episode we cover: Bitfarms' journey to the public markets in the US Ben's early efforts in flared gas mining How immersion cooling could provide operational efficiencies  Bitfarms' site selection methodology  How Bitfarms secures power originally built for now-departed industries  How Quebec overbuilt electrical infrastructure  The benefit of miners locating themselves in Quebec and scooping up stranded power  How Bitfarms took over a shuttered hockey stick factory  Why Bitfarms is so keen on stranded hydro  How Bitfarms curtails their power usage – and why curtailment makes sense  Finding excess power in Argentina and Paraguay  Does Bitfarms have a low carbon intensity mandate?  Why being pro-renewable is a good business decision  Why Bitfarms isn't focusing on Texas right now  How Bitcoin is the most efficient way to monetize stranded energy assets Bitfarms' criteria for compelling energy resources  The progress of the Bitcoin Mining Council and the bettering of transparency in the mining space  Where Ben sees room for improvement in the mining sector  The lack of standardization in reporting and valuation around mining firms  The flaws in Digiconomist's estimates of Bitcoin's energy consumption  Issues with academic claims that Bitcoin miners produce significant quantities of e-waste Why Bitcoin ASICs are more recyclable and have long lifespans  The academia and press to policy pipeline  Content mentioned:  Ben in Bitcoin Magazine: We Need to Talk About the Not Science Behind Digiconomist Ben in Bitcoin Magazine: We Need to Talk About the Climate Problem in Bitcoin Mining Sponsor notes: Compass Mining is the world's first and largest online marketplace for bitcoin mining hardware, hosting, and ASIC reselling. Start mining your own bitcoin by visiting compassmining.io